Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4)

Physical neglect. Children ages 15 to 17 experienced a significantly lowerrate of Endangerment Standard physical neglect compared to 3- to 8-year-old children.As the graph shows, the incidence rate for the 15- to 17-year-old children is the lowest, at8.7 per 1,000 children, whereas the rates were 15.3 or more per 1,000 for children ages of3 to 8. The rate of physical neglect for 15- to 17-year-old children is also lower than therate for those ages 9 to 11 (15.7 per 1,000), a statistically marginal difference.Emotional neglect. As Figure 4–10 shows, age differences in the incidencerates for Endangerment Standard emotional neglect are less pronounced (the curve isflatter) compared to age differences in the other categories of neglect. The oldestchildren, ages 15 to 17, experienced a lower rate of emotional abuse (11.4 per 1,000children) compared to children ages 6 to 8, who were emotionally neglected at a rate of17.0 children per 1,000. This difference is statistically marginal.Educational neglect. The NIS definitions of educational neglect areidentical for the Harm and Endangerment Standards. The age differences are identical tothose in Figure 4–5, so the discussion here does not reiterate them.Severity of Outcomes from Endangerment Standard MaltreatmentFigure 4–11 shows the NIS–4 significant age differences in three levels ofoutcomes from Endangerment Standard maltreatment: serious harm, moderate harm, andendangered.Serious harm. Children ages 3 to 5 years were at lower risk of experiencingserious harm or injury from Endangerment Standard maltreatment (4.3 children per1,000) compared to children ages 12 to 14 (7.4 children per 1,000), a statisticallymarginal difference.Moderate harm. The youngest children, ages 0 to 2, had a significantlylower risk of moderate injury or harm from Endangerment Standard maltreatment (4.5per 1,000 children) compared to children ages 3 or older (11.2 or more children per1,000).4-16