Understanding Maltreatment: A Secondary Analysis of the 2008 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect

Little work to date has been done to understand perpetrators of maltreatment within Canadian families. This is especially true for biological fathers and stepfathers. The current study utilized data from the 2008 Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect to determine perpetration patterns in two parent, single caregiver, and blended family households. The study also examined risk factors associated with maltreatment. Results suggest that parents come to the attention of child welfare services for different reasons; fathers tend to be investigated for exposing children to domestic violence and mothers for physical abuse. While mothers were identified as perpetrators of neglect more often than fathers, the majority of neglect investigations involved both parents as co-perpetrators. Mothers and fathers showed different risk profiles. Specifically, fathers were more likely to abuse substances but less likely to have mental health issues or poor social support. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.M.A.2019-11-16 00:00:0