Risk Factors for Recurrence of Child Abuse and Neglect

The following research studies and resources identify parent, child, family, and environmental risk factors associated with the recurrence of child abuse and neglect.

Child Welfare Services and Risk of Child Maltreatment Reports: Do Services Ameliorate Initial Risk? (PDF - 303 KB)
Fuller & Nieto (2013)
Children and Youth Services Review, 47(1)
Outlines a study that compared two groups of families that were under investigation and equally matched in their likelihood of receiving services and compared their rates of subsequent maltreatment reports over a 24-month period. Findings showed that families that received services were significantly more likely to be rereported than families who did not.

Preventing the Recurrence of Maltreatment (PDF - 1,034 KB)
Carnochan, Rizik-Baer, & Austin (2013)
Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 10(3)
Presents a literature review that summarizes research on child, family, and systemic risk factors related to maltreatment recurrence and discusses promising practices for improving performance in responding to repeat maltreatment.

Recurrent Concerns for Child Abuse: Repeated Consultations by a Subspecialty Child Abuse Team (PDF - 217 KB)
Martindale, Swenson, Coffman, Newton, & Lindberg (2014)
Child Abuse & Neglect, 38(7)
Explores the frequency of repeated consultations by child abuse teams and examines injury patterns, likelihood of abuse, and risk factors related to repeat consultation. Risk factors identified for repeated abuse included returning to the same environment, failure to comply with the safety plan, and abuse in foster care.

Repeat Maltreatment in Alaska: Assessment and Exploration of Alternative Measures (PDF - 1,056 KB)
Vadapalli & Passini (2015)
Examines the problem of repeat maltreatment in the state of Alaska, which has one of the highest maltreatment recurrence rates in the country. The report explores demographics of repeatedly maltreated children, time periods between abuse, indicators of abuse, and more.

Highlights risk factors for maltreatment recurrence in recent literature that may help identify children most at risk for further abuse. A range of factors were looked at including maltreatment types, frequency of previous episodes of maltreatment, child and family characteristics, home environment, and service provision.

Risk Factors for Recurrent Injuries in Victims of Suspected Non-Accidental Trauma: A Retrospective Cohort Study (PDF - 763 KB)
Deans, Thackeray, Groner, Copper, & Minneci (2014)
BMC Pediatrics
Identifies risk factors for repeated non-accidental injuries in children. Risk factors include rural residence; age of less than 30 months old; only one or two initially detected injuries; and a dislocation, open wound, or superficial injury in a previous event.

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