Child Factors

Age, health, and physical, mental, emotional, and social development are factors that may increase a child's vulnerability to maltreatment. Infants and young children, due to their small physical size, early developmental status, and need for constant care, can be particularly vulnerable to certain forms of maltreatment, such as abusive head trauma and physical or medical neglect. The demands of caring for these children may overwhelm their parents. This page provides resources on child factors associated with child abuse and neglect.

• Age
• Health
• Disabilities

LGBTQ Youth and Sexual Abuse: Information for Mental Health Professionals (PDF - 1,321 KB)
National Child Traumatic Stress Network (2014)
Provides information on issues and concerns for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning (LGBTQ) youth related to sexual orientation and sexual abuse. It also includes a section for parents on issues to be aware of regarding LGBTQ youth, including sexual abuse.

Understanding and Preventing Child Abuse and Neglect
American Psychological Association
Examines various issues related to child maltreatment, including child risk factors for maltreatment such as young age, disabilities or illness, and aggression or behavior problems.

Age

InBrief: The Science of Neglect
Harvard University, Center on the Developing Child
Discusses how the absence of caregiver responsiveness can cause harm to a young child's developing brain and affect executive functioning skills and the body’s stress response. The webpage includes a 5-minute video and links to a PDF that explores additional research on this topic.

Preventing Severe and Fatal Child Maltreatment: Making the Case for the Expanded Use and Integration of Data (PDF - 241 KB)
Putnam-Hornstein, Wood, Fluke, Yoskioka-Maxwell, & Berger (2013)
Child Welfare, 92(2)
Examines risk factors for severe and fatal child maltreatment. The article describes how considering this information can advance efforts to protect children and provides examples about where the use and linkage of multiple sources of data may enhance surveillance, improve front-end decision-making, and support cost-effective research and evaluation.

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Health

Maltreatment of Children Under Age 2 With Specific Birth Defects: A Population-Based Study (PDF - 758 KB)
Van Horne, Moffitt, Canfield, Case, Greely, Morgan, & Mitchell (2015)
Pediatrics, 136(6)
Explores the risk of maltreatment for children under age 2 with specific types of birth defects, including Down syndrome, cleft lip with or without cleft palate, and spina bifida.

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Disabilities

Abuse and Exploitation of People With Developmental Disabilities
Disability Justice (2017)
Explains the high risks of abuse and exploitation experienced by children with developmental disabilities and provides links to information about physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, psychological abuse, exploitation, financial fraud, and additional resources.

Causality
Committee on Child Maltreatment Research, Policy, and Practice for the Next Decade: Phase II; Board on Children, Youth, and Families; Committee on Law and Justice; Institute of Medicine; & National Research Council (2014)
In New Directions in Child Abuse and Neglect Research
Examines explanatory factors for child abuse and neglect. This chapter includes a section on individual-level (child) characteristics that could put them at greater risk of abuse and neglect, including physical and mental disabilities.

Childhood Maltreatment Among Children With Disabilities
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2016)
Provides facts about disability and maltreatment and discusses steps that parents can take to protect children with disabilities from abuse and neglect.

For Children With Disabilities
Chicago Children's Advocacy Center
Outlines special considerations for preventing, recognizing, and responding to the abuse of children with disabilities.

Recognizing and Preventing Abuse
Autism Speaks
Discusses safety concerns of children with autism and developmental disabilities and their increased risk of abuse, violence, and neglect. The webpage also provides information about how to prevent, recognize, and respond to abuse as well as a list of additional resources.

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