Citation

Wood JM. Child Abuse Negl. 1997; 21(4): 379-389.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, University of Texas at El Paso, USA.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1997, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

9134266

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether risk indicators of re-abuse/re-neglect, identified in earlier research by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD), would be predictive in a predominantly Hispanic population. METHOD: Data for 409 substantiated abuse/neglect cases, 67% involving Hispanic caretakers, were gathered from the files of the EI Paso Department of Protective and Regulatory Services. Potential indicators of re-abuse were recorded from the time of substantiation, and follow-up data were collected to determine whether re-abuse or re-neglect occurred during the 2 years following the index substantiation. RESULTS: Of 19 NCCD indicators, seven (37%) correctly predicted both allegations and substantiations of re-abuse/re-neglect during 2-year follow-up. An additional five items (26%) predicted subsequent allegations but not substantiations. Four items (21%) appeared clearly invalid. The remaining three items (16%) were questionable. When item scores were summed, total risk scores significantly predicted re-abuse/re-neglect. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicate that a substantial number of NCCD risk indicators can validly predict re-abuse/re-neglect in predominantly Hispanic populations in the United States.

Language: en