TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2023//
TI  - Early detection of risk for maltreatment within Dutch preventive child health care: A proxy-based evaluation of the long-term predictive validity of the SPARK method
JO  - Child abuse and neglect
A1  - Van der Put, C. E.
A1  - Stolwijk, I. J.
A1  - Staal, I. I. E.
SP  - e106316
EP  - e106316
VL  - 143
IS  - 
N2  - BACKGROUND: For effective prevention of child maltreatment, it is crucial that risk factors for child maltreatment are identified as early as possible. In the Dutch preventive child healthcare, the SPARK-method is used for this purpose. <br><br>OBJECTIVE: The current study investigated the predictive validity of the SPARK-method for predicting child protection activities, as a proxy for child maltreatment, and whether the estimation can be improved with an actuarial module. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants included a community sample of 1582 children of approximately 18-months-old for whom the SPARK was administered during well-child visits at home (51 %) or at the well-baby clinic (49 %). <br><br>METHODS: SPARK measurements were linked to data on child protection orders and residential youth care over a 10-year follow-up period. The predictive validity was evaluated using Area Under the receiver operating characteristic Curve (AUC) values. <br><br>RESULTS: Results showed good predictive validity for the SPARK clinical risk assessment (AUC = 0.723; large effect). The actuarial module led to a significant improvement in predictive validity (AUC = 0.802; large effect), z = 2.05, p = .04. <br><br>CONCLUSION: These results show that the SPARK is suitable for estimating the risk of child protection activities and that the actuarial module is a valuable addition. The SPARK can be used to support professionals in preventive child healthcare with their decision on appropriate follow-up actions.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0145-2134
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106316
ID  - ref1
ER  -