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

3.2.3 Specific Categories of Endangerment Standard AbuseTable 3–3 provides the incidence statistics for the specific categories ofEndangerment Standard abuse: physical, sexual, and emotional. The estimates for thedifferent abuse categories sum to more than the total number of abused children becauseeach estimate includes all children who experienced that type of abuse and some childrenexperienced more than one type of abuse.Physical abuse. Table 3–3 shows that 6.5 children per 1,000 (or anestimated 476,600 children) experienced Endangerment Standard physical abuse in2005–2006.Sexual abuse. The Endangerment Standard enlarges the set of allowableperpetrators of sexual abuse by permitting children to count in the sexual abuse estimatesif they are abused by teenage (i.e., non-adult) caretakers. An estimated 2.4 children per1,000 (or a total of 180,500) were sexually abused in 2005–2006 under the EndangermentStandard guidelines.Emotional abuse. Table 3–3 indicates that an estimated 4.1 per 1,000(302,600 children) suffered emotional abuse that fit the Endangerment Standarddefinitions in the 2005–2006 study year.Comparison with Harm Standard abuse estimates. The estimates for thedifferent types of Endangerment Standard abuse are all notably higher than thecorresponding estimates using the Harm Standard, but the largest difference is in thecategory of emotional abuse. Specifically, the number of children who experiencedEndangerment Standard physical abuse is 48% higher than the number who count asphysically abused under the Harm Standard; the number of sexually abused children is33% higher under the Endangerment Standard than under the Harm Standard; and thenumber of emotionally abused children is 104% higher using the more lenientEndangerment Standard compared to the stringent Harm Standard criteria. Children whoalso qualified under the Harm Standard were 68% of the total who sufferedEndangerment Standard physical abuse; 75% of those who suffered EndangermentStandard sexual abuse; and 49% of those who experienced Endangerment Standardemotional abuse.3–18