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Elevated Risk of Child Maltreatment in Families with Stepparents But Not with Adoptive Parents

NCJ Number
228658
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 14 Issue: 4 Dated: November 2009 Pages: 369-375
Author(s)
Marinus H. Van IJzendoorn; Eveline M. Euser; Peter Prinzie; Femmie Juffer; Marian J. Bakermans-Kranenburg
Date Published
November 2009
Length
7 pages
Annotation
This study examined the prevalence of child maltreatment in families with stepparents and adoptive parents.
Abstract
Results of this study indicate that family composition is associated with the prevalence of child maltreatment. Larger families, single-parent families, and families with a stepparent elevate the risk for child maltreatment, whereas in families with adoptive parents, the risk for child maltreatment is decreased. In summary, families with stepparents seem more vulnerable to child maltreatment, but the mechanisms are still unclear. The question of whether child maltreatment occurs more often in adoptive and stepfamilies than in biological families is examined. Data were collected from all 17 Dutch child protective services agencies on 13,538 cases of certified child maltreatment in 2005 and compared to a representative national sample collected in the Netherlands Kinship Panel Study. Figure, table, and references