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

information suggests that both of these dynamics contributed to the observed changes,each dynamic affecting a different sector of the abused and neglected population.The NIS–4 documented declines in rates of all categories of abuse acrossboth definitional standards. The declines in sexual abuse and physical abuse areconsistent with trends in CPS data gathered by the National Child Abuse and NeglectData System (NCANDS, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services,Administration on Children, Youth and Families, 2007) and they also parallel declines invictim self-reports. However, since no independent information is currently available thatbears on the incidence of emotional abuse, it is not clear whether the NIS decline in thiscategory reflects a real decrease in its occurrence.The increase in the rate of emotional neglect since 1993 could, in part, signifya real increase in the occurrence of maltreatment, but it is fairly clear that it also reflectssome change in policy and focus. Since the NIS–3, a number of CPS systems haveundertaken initiatives to increase collaboration between CPS and agencies that servedomestic violence and alcohol and drug problems (U.S. Department of Health andHuman Services, Administration for Children and Families/Children's Bureau and Officeof the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, 2001, 2003). The increasedemotional neglect incidence may predominantly reflect the heightened CPS attention tothese problems, which are involved in certain types of emotional neglect. Furtheranalyses will clarify whether the increases in emotional neglect primarily occurred inspecific types of emotional neglect or for children recognized at specific types ofagencies.Another area where further analyses can illuminate the implications of theNIS–4 findings is in the interrelationships among the different factors associated with theincidence of maltreatment. Factors such as parents’ labor force participation, householdsocioeconomic status, family size, and family structure and living arrangement are notonly associated with the incidence of maltreatment but are also correlated with eachother. Further analyses could determine their independent relationships to maltreatment,such as whether households with more children have higher incidence rates even whenhousehold socioeconomic status is taken into account. Moreover, for the first time inNIS, the NIS–4 found race differences in the incidence of maltreatment, with higherincidence rates for Black children. Future analyses should examine whether these race20