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

OVERVIEW The fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS–4) is acongressionally mandated study designed to measure the total number of children who areabused or neglected in the United States. It was also designed to indicate the degree to whichthis number has changed since the earlier cycles collected similar data (the NIS–1 in 1979, theNIS–2 in 1986, and the NIS–3 in 1993). In 2001, DHHS contracted with Westat to plan theNIS–4. With input from a large Technical Advisory Group, that effort identified, prioritized, andpilot-tested a number of enhancements to the NIS design. The NIS–4 incorporates theseimprovements.NIS–4 main study design. The NIS–4 main study provides the basis for estimatingthe overall incidence of maltreated children and for assessing changes in incidence from theearlier studies. In contrast to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS),which captures annual statistics on cases of child maltreatment that come to the attention of thechild protective services (CPS) system, the NIS measures the scope of child maltreatment in away that goes beyond these official statistics. To do so, NIS gathers and integrates data frommultiple sources, using standardized definitions.The NIS–4 used a national sample of 122 counties. In each county, NIS collecteddata on all children investigated by child protective service (CPS) agencies as well as onmaltreated children who were identified in 1,094 community agencies by professionals(“sentinels”) who regularly come into contact with children and families. Participants includedthe 126 local CPS agencies that serve the NIS–4 counties, as well as sentinels in the countysheriff’s office, the county departments of juvenile probation, health, and public housing,municipal police departments, hospitals, public schools, day care centers, shelters, and voluntarysocial services and mental health agencies. Data collection focused on maltreatment that tookplace during specific 3-month reference periods—either in the fall of 2005 (for two-thirds of thecounties) or in the spring of 2006 (for the remaining one-third of counties). CPS submitted dataon children they investigated during the reference period and sentinels submitted data onchildren they suspected to be maltreated during the reference period. The NIS–4 study teamunduplicated the data (so the study estimates represent each maltreated child only once),evaluated the case details against standardized definitions of abuse and neglect (so estimates arebased only on “countable” children, whose maltreatment meets the study standards), andA-1