Using data from the National Incidence Studies of Missing, Abducted, Runaway and Thrownaway Children (NISMART), this study compared demographic and family interaction characteristics for a sample of abducted and non-abducted children drawn from the general population, with an aim of establishing risk factors for abduction. NISMART used a telephone household survey to obtain national data on the yearly incidence of various missing child events, including those described in this study as family abductions. The survey consisted of telephone interviews with caretakers in 10,367 randomly selected households who reported on the experiences of 20,505 children aged 17 years or younger. For this study, family abduction was defined as situations in which a family member took a child in violation of a custody agreement or decree or situations in which a family member (in violation of a custody agreement or decree) failed to return a child at the end of a legal or agreed upon visitation period, with the child being away at least one additional night. NISMART identified 142 children in 104 families who experienced family abductions. The study compared these 142 children with 845 "control" children. Findings show that young white children without siblings in relatively higher income families that have experienced some sort of violence between the adults in the household seem to be at higher risk than other children for abduction. The risk for the most serious abductions seems additionally to be greater during the period immediately following or surrounding a divorce/separation, and in families with caretakers who themselves had somewhat disrupted childhoods. Implications of these findings are discussed. 4 tables, 8 notes, and 6 references