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

Changes since 1986 in the incidence of Endangerment Standard abuse.The incidence of all categories of Endangerment Standard abuse decreased significantlysince the NIS–3. The total number of physically abused children decreased by 22%,sexually abused children decreased by 40%, and emotionally abused children decreasedby 43%. In terms of incidence rates, children in the 2005–2006 study year had a 29%lower risk of being physically abused, a 47% lower risk of being sexually abused, and a48% lower risk of being emotionally abused under the Endangerment Standard than theircounterparts had in 1993.The NIS–3 found significant increases in all categories of EndangermentStandard abuse between 1986 and 1993. The NIS–4 estimates indicate that rates ofEndangerment Standard physical and emotional abuse are still elevated relative to their1986 levels. Specifically, the total number of physically abused children is still 53%higher in 2005–2006 than in 1986. Taking changes in the size of the child populationinto account, a child in 2005–2006 had a 33% higher risk of experiencing EndangermentStandard physical abuse than his or her counterpart in 1986—a risk difference that isstatistically significant. In 2005–2006, the incidence of Endangerment Standardemotional abuse remained higher than its 1986 level, affecting 61% more children in totalnumber and reflecting a 37% higher risk in terms of its rate per 1,000 in the general childpopulation. This difference is statistically marginal. As noted above, the NIS–4 found asignificant decrease in Endangerment Standard sexual abuse compared to the NIS–3estimate for 1993. This recent decrease was large enough to return the rate for thiscategory to close to its 1986 level. The slight difference in rates of EndangermentStandard sexual abuse between the NIS–2 and the NIS–4 is not statistically significant.3.2.4 Specific Categories of Endangerment Standard NeglectTable 3–3 presents the incidence estimates for the specific categories ofEndangerment Standard neglect: physical, emotional, and educational. Again, thesecategories are not mutually exclusive; they include all children who experienced theneglect in question and some children experienced more than one category of neglect.Physical neglect. The Endangerment Standard enlarges the set of allowableperpetrators of this type of neglect by including children whose adult caretaker (i.e., notnecessarily a parent or parent-substitute) inadequately supervised them; failed to meet3–19