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

The incidence rate of Endangerment Standard abuse for children in familiesof low SES is more than 3 times the rate for children not in families of low SES (12.1versus 3.6 per 1,000 children, respectively).Children in families of low SES had a significantly higher rate ofEndangerment Standard neglect than children not in families of low SES. The estimatedincidence rate for children in low-SES families was 46.5 children per 1,000 children,which is almost 7 times the rate of 6.7 per 1,000 children not in low-SES families.Specific Categories of Endangerment Standard AbuseThe NIS–4 found that children in families in the lowest socioeconomic tierhad significantly higher risk in all three categories of Endangerment Standard abuse:physical, sexual, and emotional.Physical abuse. Children in families of low SES had a significantly higherrisk of Endangerment Standard physical abuse. Their estimated incidence rate, 6.5 per1,000 children, was 3 times the rate of 2.2 per 1,000 for children not in low-SES families.Sexual abuse. Children in families of low SES had a significantly higherrate of Endangerment Standard sexual abuse (2.4 children per 1,000) compared tochildren not in families of low SES (0.7 per 1,000 children). Thus, the incidence rate forchildren in families of low SES is more than 3 times the rate for children not in familiesof low SES.Emotional abuse. The incidence of Endangerment Standard emotionalabuse for children in low-SES families was more than 5 times the rate for children not infamilies of low socioeconomic status (5.5 versus 1.0 per 1,000 children, respectively).Specific Categories of Endangerment Standard NeglectDifferences between the socioeconomic groups were significant in all threecategories of Endangerment Standard neglect.5–16