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Cited by 285Child Abuse and TraumaChild Welfare and AdoptionHomicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse

Child maltreatment in the “Children of the nineties”

Sidebotham, Peter, Golding, Jean·2001·Child Abuse & Neglect
DOI 10.1016/s0145-2134(01)00261-7
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Abstract

Objective To identify and validate factors within the parental background affecting risk of child maltreatment.Method A nested case-control study based on the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children ("Children of the Nineties"), a cohort of children born in Avon in 1991 through 1992. Data on the childhood and psychiatric histories of the parents, along with other data on the social and family environments, have been collected through postal questionnaires from early antenatal booking onwards.Results Out of 14,138 participating children, 162 have been identified as having been maltreated. Using logistic regression analysis, significant risk factors within the mothers' backgrounds were age < 20; lower educational achievement; history of sexual abuse; child guidance or psychiatry; absence of her father during childhood; and a previous history of psychiatric illness. Significant factors in the fathers' backgrounds were age < 20; lower educational achievement; having been in care during childhood; and a history of psychiatric illness. Significant factors on univariate, but not multivariate analysis included a parental history of childhood physical abuse; divorce or separation of the mother's parents; a maternal history of having been in care, or separated from her mother; parental alcohol or drug abuse; and a maternal history of depression.Conclusions This study, the first of its kind in the UK, supports the findings of others that parental age, educational achievement, and a history of psychiatric illness are of prime importance in an understanding of child maltreatment. With the exception of maternal sexual abuse, a history of abuse in childhood is not significant once adjusted for other background factors. The study suggests that psychodynamic models are inadequate to explain child maltreatment, and wider models incorporating other ecological domains are needed.

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Authors
Sidebotham, P., & Golding, J.
Affiliations
University of Bristol (GB)
Corresponding author
Sidebotham, Peter
ORCID
Venue
Child Abuse & Neglect
Publisher
Elsevier BV
Published
2001-09
Volume
25
Issue
9
Pages
1177-1200
ISSN
0145-2134 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.1016/s0145-2134(01)00261-7
OpenAlex
W1637306181
Cited by
284
References
46
Citations by year
2026: 7 · 2025: 8 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 14 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 25 · 2016: 21 · 2015: 14 · 2014: 14 · 2013: 17 · 2012: 18
FWCI
5.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
www.elsevier.com/tdm/userlicense/1.0/ (tdm)
Locations
  • Child Abuse & Neglect (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
Keywords
child abuse, risk factors, parental background, parental age, parental education, parental mental illness, child sexual abuse, parental separation, maternal depression, psychodynamic model, ecological model, family environment, parental divorce
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adult, Mental Disorders, Child, Child Abuse, Family Relations, Female, United Kingdom, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Maternal Behavior, Parent-Child Relations, Paternal Behavior, Pregnancy, Surveys and Questionnaires, Risk Factors, Logistic Models, Case-Control Studies, Intergenerational Relations

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