Child abuse declines nationally in
spite of economic deterioration
DURHAM, N.H. -- Child abuse
declined nationally in 2008 compared to 2007, according to a new report
by the Crimes against Children Research Center at the University of New
Hampshire. Sexual abuse declined 6 percent, physical abuse 3 percent and
neglect 2 percent.
The report also found that child
maltreatment fatalities stayed stable from 2007 to 2008. These trends
are noteworthy, according to the report's authors, because 2008 marked
the first full year of the current recession, and economic downturns are
generally thought to be associated with increased family stress and
child maltreatment.
"This is good news, but we need
to be very cautious," said lead author David Finkelhor, director of the
center and professor of sociology. "It could be that discouragement and
despair in families about their deteriorating economic situation take
longer than a year to show their effects."
On the other hand, the report
notes, the recent declines represent a continuation of a large downward
trend for physical and sexual abuse that is now over 15 years in length.
"The long-improvement for sexual
and physical abuse may be related to a generation-long effort to educate
and respond more effectively and aggressively to the problem," Finkelhor
said. "If successful prevention efforts are behind the declines, then
the improvements may persist even in the face of social stressors like
the recession."
The report was based on an
analysis of data on substantiated child maltreatment cases submitted by
state child protection agencies to the federal government.
Individual states may have
trends quite different from the national trends, especially in the short
run. For example, in New Hampshire, physical abuse was up 6 percent in
2008 over 2007 and neglect was up 35 percent, while sexual abuse
declined 10 percent. Over the longer span, however, most states,
including New Hampshire, show the nationally noted decline in physical
and sexual abuse.
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