Elsevier

Child Abuse & Neglect

Volume 29, Issue 9, September 2005, Pages 969-984
Child Abuse & Neglect

Measuring child maltreatment in the United Kingdom: A study of the prevalence of child abuse and neglect

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2004.05.009Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective:

To provide reliable measures of the prevalence of all forms of child maltreatment in the UK that will be robust in the context of social and cultural differences due to social class, ethnicity and, region.

Methods:

Two thousand eight hundred sixty-nine (2,869) young adults aged 18–24, obtained by random probability sampling throughout the UK, were interviewed face to face by trained interviewers. Maltreatment was defined using a post hoc assessment of a range of experienced behaviors and treatments while the respondents were aged 16 or under.

Results:

Over 90% of respondents reported that they came from a warm and loving family background. Maltreatment (both intra and extrafamilial) was experienced by 16% of the sample. Serious maltreatment was experienced by 7% of respondents for physical abuse, 6% for emotional abuse, 6% for absence of care, and 5% for absence of supervision, and 11% reported sexual abuse involving contact. Attitudes to maltreatment were explored through the examination of respondents’ views of different behaviors and experiences that children may have been exposed to.

Conclusion:

The maltreatment of children in the UK today remains an extensive social problem. Prevalence data reveal that children are most at risk in the home for physical and emotional abuse and neglect. They are at greater risk of sexual abuse outside the home, particularly in dating relationships.

Résumé

Objectif:

Fournir des mesures fiables et robustes sur la prévalence de toutes les formes de mauvais traitements dans le Royaume Uni, dans le contexte des différences sociales et culturelles, et prenant en considération le statut social, l’ethnie et la région.

Méthode:

Deux mille huit cent soixante-neuf jeunes âgés de 18 à 24 ans ont été interviewés personnellement par des intervieweurs formés. On a défini «mauvais traitements» au moyen d’une évaluation de toute une gamme de comportements et de traitements identifiés lorsque les jeunes avaient 16 ans ou moins.

Résultats:

Plus de 90% des participants déclarent être issus de familles chaleureuses qui les aimaient. Seize pour cent des jeunes ont connu des mauvais traitements (tant à l’intérieur qu’à l’extérieur de la famille). Parmi les cas graves, 7% de l’échantillon ont connu des mauvais traitements physiques, tandis que 6% ont vécu une maltraitance émotionnelle, 6% ont été des enfants dépourvus de soins, 5% ont manqué de surveillance, et 11% ont dévoilé des agressions sexuelles comprenant un contact physique. On a voulu connaître leurs attitudes envers la maltraitance en leur demandant de commenter sur divers comportements et expériences qu’ils auraient connus.

Conclusions:

Les mauvais traitements des enfants dans le Royaume Uni demeurent aujourd’hui un problème social important. Les données sur la prévalence indiquent que ce sont les enfants dans leur famille qui sont les plus aptes à devenir victimes de négligence et des mauvais traitements physiques et émotionnels, tandis que le risque d’agressions sexuelles existe principalement à l’extérieur de la famille, surtout dans le contexte des fréquentations.

Resumen

Objetivo:

Obtener medidas confiables de la prevalencia de todas las formas de maltrato contra los niños en Gran Bretaña que sean fuertes considerando el contexto social y las diferencias culturales debido a clase social, etnicidad y región.

Métodos:

2,869 jóvenes adultos de 18–24 años de edad, de una muestra probabilística tomada al azar en toda la Gran Bretaña, fueron entrevistados cara a cara por entrevistadores entrenados. Se definió el maltrato usando una evaluación post hoc de una gama de conductas vividas y diferentes maneras de tratarlos; mientras los participantes tenían menos de 16 años.

Resultados:

Más del 90% de los participantes reportaron que venían de un contexto familiar cálido y amoroso. El maltrato (tanto intrafamiliar como extrafamiliar) fue vivido por el 16% de la muestra. El 7% de los participantes fue sometido a maltrato grave por abuso físico, el 6% por abuso emocional, 6% por ausencia de cuidado, 5% por ausencia de supervisión y el 11% reportó abuso sexual con contacto físico. Se exploraron las actitudes hacia el maltrato a través del examen de los puntos de vista de los participantes sobre diferentes conductas y experiencias a las que los niños pueden haber estado expuestos.

Conclusión:

En el presente, el maltrato a los niños en Gran Bretaña permanece siendo un extenso problema social. Los datos de la prevalencia demuestran que los niños están en mayor riesgo de abuso físico, abuso emocional y negligencia en el hogar. Están en mayor riesgo de abuso sexual fuera del hogar, especialmente en relaciones en que salen en citas con otros jóvenes.

Introduction

Main sources of data on the extent of child maltreatment in the UK are official statistics such as the child protection register (Department of Health, 2000), children referred to child protection services (Department of Health, 2001), or statistics on offenses against children (Kilsby, 2001). With the exception of the few UK prevalence studies conducted on specific forms of maltreatment, either sexual (Baker & Duncan, 1985; Kelly, Regan, & Burton, 1991) or physical (Smith, Bee, Heverin, & Nobes, 1995), or both (Creighton & Russell, 1995), very little is known about other forms of maltreatment that are not reported to the authorities.

This article provides the results of a national study undertaken to assess the prevalence of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional) and neglect, collectively described as maltreatment (Cawson, Wattam, Brooker, & Kelly, 2000). The research is the only UK study, and one of the few worldwide, to have addressed the issue of maltreatment comprehensively, in a large random probability sample of the general population. The study sought to establish measures of maltreatment which are robust and replicable and which address borderline areas where there is known to be uncertainty and public debate. For this reason the research was based in a context of broader aspects of child rearing.

Attitudes are important to understand when measuring prevalence since there may be a relationship between attitudes, perceptions, self-reporting, and experience of maltreatment. Previous studies have found that many people do not perceive childhood experiences such as “being whipped or beaten to the point of laceration” (Steele, 1997) as abuse because there is a tendency to believe that the discipline they experienced was normal and deserved (Bower & Knutson, 1996). Subjective and objective definitions of maltreatment will give varying prevalence rates (Carlin et al., 1994). However, such factors should not affect responses to descriptive questions such as, “has anyone ever hit you with an object?” This is reflected in discrepancies detected in studies where respondents are requested to reply to a range of selected violent behaviors and subsequently asked whether they rate themselves as abused. For example, a study of over 4,500 university students found that while 9% of the sample could be “conservatively” classified as physically abused, only 27% of this group also labeled themselves as abused (Berger, Knutson, Mehm, & Perkins, 1988). Experience of physical abuse has also been found to impact on attitudes toward the appropriateness of physical punishment. People reporting histories of physical abuse, who rate their own experiences as deserved or normal, rate physical punishment as more appropriate than those who have not been so treated (Kelder, McNamara, Carlson, & Lynn, 1991), and a direct relationship has been established between childhood experience and disciplinary attitudes (Bower & Knutson, 1996). The present study therefore collected data on attitudes, experiences of specified behaviors, and self-assessment of abuse. In this initial analysis, maltreatment was researcher assessed according to levels of severity of the behavior (likelihood of leading to harm), actual harm reported, frequency of behavior, and relationship of the perpetrator. Details of researcher-assessed definition levels (serious, intermediate, and cause for concern) inclusion criteria and rates of self-assessed abuse for each category are given below.

Section snippets

Subjects and methods

A random probability sampling technique was employed using the Postcode Address File as the basic sampling frame. Six hundred and thirty-three postcode sectors throughout the United Kingdom were selected with probability proportional to the population of 18- to 24-year-olds after stratification. A total of 90 addresses were selected in each postcode sector resulting in 56,970 addresses being sampled. Where successful contact was made, details of any 18- to 24-year-olds in the household were

Normal family life

Over 90% of respondents agreed that they had a “warm and loving family background” and had, at some point, lived with both birth parents together; 91% described themselves as being very or fairly close to their mothers and 78% to their fathers. Most often discipline was based on reasoning, explanation, and non-physical punishment (87%). Almost three quarters had received some physical discipline which was most often described as mild and infrequent, taking the form of a slap on the leg, arm, or

Discussion

Seven percent of the current sample reported experiences that could be defined as severe physical abuse, 6% serious absence of physical care and 5% serious lack of supervision. Six percent were defined as emotionally maltreated and 10% of respondents had been abused involving sexual contact either by parents/carers or by other people. Previous research on community samples in the UK found high levels of corporal punishment (Creighton & Russell, 1995; Newson & Newson, 1989), with one study (

Acknowledgments

Fieldwork was carried out by BMRB under the management of Sue Brooker and Graham Kelly. The study was initiated by Philip Noyes.

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