The risk factors for child abuse can be divided up into 3 different categories: community/societal, parent related, and child related. Here is how the factors break down:
Community/Societal
- High crime rate
- Lack of or few social services
- High poverty rate
- High unemployment rate
Parent Related
- History of physical or sexual abuse (as a child)
- Teen parents
- Single parents
- Emotional immaturity
- Poor coping skills
- Low self-esteem
- Substance abuse
- Known past history of child abuse
- Lack of social support (community and extended family)
- Domestic violence
- Lack of parenting skills
- Lack of preparation for the stress of a new infant
- Depression or other mental illnesses
- Multiple young children
- Unwanted pregnancy
- Denial of pregnancy
Child Related
- Prematurity
- Low birth weight
- Handicap
Physical abuse and neglect is most common among the poorest people. Poverty is the most noted risk factor of them all. It is debated as to whether poverty and child abuse is related due to the stress of the living conditions or the greater attention of social services towards the poor, which would follow with more reporting. Other noted risk factors for child abuse include: lack of affordable health care, lack of or sketchy social services, and lack of support from extended families and the community.
Moral: Get involved with your community for the good of the children.
Source:
Primary Prevention of Child Abuse by Lesa Bethea, M.D., from the American Family Physician Website
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