Title
Emotional Maltreatment Reports in Children: The Influence of State Statutes and Co-Occurring Maltreatment
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-1-2013
Abstract
Allegations of emotional maltreatment pose a challenge for child welfare systems, partially because state statutes tend to use vague definitions. In this study, the relationship between statutory definitions and reported rates of emotional maltreatment was examined. Using data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), comparisons were made of the rates of emotional maltreatment in broad versus narrow state statutes. Results indicated that states with broad statutes had higher rates of both alleged and substantiated emotional maltreatment, although only in cases where emotional maltreatment was the sole type of reported abuse. The results buttress the argument that definitions of emotional maltreatment suffer from a lack of clarity and consistency across the United States.
DOI
10.1080/10926771.2013.803507
MSU Digital Commons Citation
Shpiegel, Svetlana; Simmel, Cassandra; and Huang, Chien Chung, "Emotional Maltreatment Reports in Children: The Influence of State Statutes and Co-Occurring Maltreatment" (2013). Department of Social Work and Child Advocacy Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 40.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/social-work-and-child-advocacy-facpubs/40