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

More of the moderately harmed children have perpetrators who used alcohol(9.4%) compared to the other types of problems. This is higher than the percentages ofmoderately harmed children who had mentally ill perpetrators (5.7%) or whoseperpetrators used drugs (7.5%).Perpetrator’s drug use is notably high among children for whom harm couldbe inferred based on the severity of their maltreatment events (14.7%). This is higherthan the percentages of children in this group who have perpetrators with other problems.Figure 6–5.Perpetrator Problems in Maltreatment of Children with Different Levelsof Harm.The incidence of problems with alcohol use, drug use, or mental illness alsovaries with the perpetrator’s relationship to the child, as Figure 6–6 illustrates. Across allthree perpetrator problems, the factor was involved in the maltreatment of higherpercentages of children when the perpetrator was a biological parent. Alcohol use was afactor in maltreatment for 12.4% of children maltreated by their biological parents,compared to 8.6% of those maltreated by other (nonbiological) parents and just 5.5% ofthose maltreated by other persons. Drug use played a role in the maltreatment for 11.8%of children whose biological parents were perpetrators, compared to 6.9% or less ofchildren with other relationships to their perpetrators. When biological parents were6-18