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

Analyses of changes in this composite measure since the NIS–3 were notpossible because the NIS–3 did not obtain information about household poverty programparticipation and parental education.5.2.1 Differences in Harm Standard Maltreatment Related toSocioeconomic Status (SES)As Table 5–3 reveals, household SES was significantly related to incidencerates in all categories of Harm Standard maltreatment and levels of outcome severity.Overall Harm Standard Maltreatment, Abuse, and NeglectChildren in families of low SES were at significantly greater risk of HarmStandard maltreatment overall. An estimated 22.5 children per 1,000 children in low-SES families experienced Harm Standard maltreatment, which is more than 5 times therate of 4.4 per 1,000 children in families that were not of low SES.Children in families of low SES were also at significantly greater risk ofHarm Standard abuse. An estimated 7.7 children per 1,000 children in low-SES familiesexperienced Harm Standard abuse compared to 2.5 per 1,000 children not in low-SES(Continued from previous page.)the cases that are missing information are predominantly in a specific subgroup, since that would causeNIS to systematically underestimate the incidence of maltreatment in that subgroup. To gauge therobustness of the findings on socioeconomic status, hypothetical analyses examined the worst-casescenario regarding the potential bias of the missing data, by allocating all the children still missing valueson this measure to the higher socioeconomic category (i.e., the subgroup with lower incidence rates acrossall maltreatment categories). Statistically significant differences remained for half of the maltreatmentcategories under both the Harm and Endangerment Standards. Specifically, the hypothetical subgroupsstill differed, under both definitional standards, in the incidence of all maltreatment, emotional abuse, allneglect, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and serious harm. In addition, the hypothetical subgroupsdiffered significantly in their rates of experiencing moderate harm and endangerment from EndangermentStandard maltreatment.66 Calculations of incidence rates used the following population denominators, in thousands: 19,750children in families of low socioeconomic status and 53,885 children not in families of lowsocioeconomic status (U.S. Census Bureau, 2008a, 2008b, 2008c).5–11