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

Figure 2–3.Schematic Summary of the NIS Methodology.NIS–4 enhancements. The NIS–4 sample design improved on that used inthe NIS–3 by tripling the number of counties (122 vs. 42) as well as increasing thenumber of sentinel agencies (nearly 1,100 vs. 800). The NIS–4 also expanded sentinelcoverage through two new categories of sentinel agencies—public housing authoritiesand shelters for victims of domestic violence and for runaway or homeless youth.Statisticians conducted an extensive review of the NIS–3 data to identify the mostefficient design for the NIS–4 county and sentinel agency samples. In evaluating the data,the NIS–4 evaluative coders applied a refined typology of abuse and neglect definitions,classifying situations into 60 separate forms of maltreatment. They also provided a moredetailed coding of serious injury or harm that resulted from maltreatment. In computingannualization multipliers to transform the 3-months of data from the main NIS–4 intoestimates of the numbers of children maltreated over a full year, the NIS–4 used datafrom the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Finally, the NIS–4team designed and implemented a number of new computer systems to document,manage, and provide ongoing quality checks during recruitment, data collection,evaluative coding, and unduplication. Appendix A includes a complete list of thesesystem enhancements.2–6