Are Father Surrogates a Risk Factor for Child Maltreatment?

Most research on the effect of father figures in the home on the incidence of child maltreatment has been cross-sectional and has focused on sexual abuse. This prospective study's purpose is to determine if the presence of a father surrogate in the home affects the risk of a subsequent child ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Child maltreatment 2001-11, Vol.6 (4), p.281-289
Main Authors: Radhakrishna, Aruna, Bou-Saada, Ingrid E., Hunter, Wanda M., Catellier, Diane J., Kotch, Jonathan B.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Child Abuse
Child abuse & neglect
Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data
Child Abuse - trends
Child maltreatment
Child Neglect
Children & youth
Families & family life
Family Characteristics
Fathers
Female
Follow-Up Studies
Home Environment
Human Capital
Humans
Infant, Newborn
Interpersonal Relationship
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Males
Marital Status
Marriage - statistics & numerical data
Maternal Behavior - psychology
Men
Mothers
North Carolina
North Carolina - epidemiology
Odds Ratio
One Parent Family
Parents
Paternal Behavior
Prospective Studies
Registries
Researchers
Risk
Risk Factors
Single-Parent Family - statistics & numerical data
Social Capital
Spouses - psychology
Spouses - statistics & numerical data
Surrogate Parents
Surrogates
Telephone Surveys
USA
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Summary:Most research on the effect of father figures in the home on the incidence of child maltreatment has been cross-sectional and has focused on sexual abuse. This prospective study's purpose is to determine if the presence of a father surrogate in the home affects the risk of a subsequent child maltreatment report. In a longitudinal sample of at-risk children, North Carolina's Central Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect was used to determine the maltreatment history of children from birth to age 8 years. Children who had a father surrogate living in the home were twice as likely to be reported for maltreatment after his entry into the home than those with either a biological father (odds ratio = 2.6, 95% confidence interval = 1.4-4.7) or no father figure in the home (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval = 1.1-3.5).
ISSN:1077-5595
1552-6119
DOI:10.1177/1077559501006004001