Damashek Amy, Nelson Melanie McDiarmid, Bonner Barbara L
Western Michigan University, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2013 Oct;37(10):735-44. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.04.014. Epub 2013 Jun 12.
This study examined victim, family, and alleged perpetrator characteristics associated with fatal child maltreatment (FCM) in 685 cases identified by child welfare services in the state of Oklahoma over a 21-year period. Analyses also examined differences in child, family, and alleged perpetrator characteristics of deaths from abuse versus neglect. Case information was drawn from child welfare investigation records for all FCM cases identified by the state Department of Human Services. Fatal neglect accounted for the majority (51%) of deaths. Children were primarily younger than age 5, and parents were most frequently the alleged perpetrators. Moreover, most victims had not been the subject of a child welfare report prior to their death. A greater number of children in the home and previous family involvement with child welfare increased children's likelihood of dying from neglect, rather than physical abuse. In addition, alleged perpetrators of neglect were more likely to be female and biologically related to the victim. These results indicate that there are unique family risk factors for death from neglect (versus physical abuse) that may be important to consider when selecting or developing prevention efforts.
本研究调查了俄克拉荷马州儿童福利服务机构在21年期间确认的685例致命儿童虐待（FCM）案件中与受害者、家庭及被指控的施虐者相关的特征。分析还考察了因虐待与忽视导致死亡的儿童、家庭及被指控施虐者特征的差异。案件信息取自该州公共福利部确认的所有FCM案件的儿童福利调查记录。致命忽视占死亡案例的大多数（51%）。儿童主要为5岁以下，被指控的施虐者大多是父母。此外，大多数受害者在死亡前并非儿童福利报告的对象。家中孩子数量较多以及家庭此前与儿童福利机构有过接触，会增加儿童死于忽视而非身体虐待的可能性。此外，被指控的忽视施虐者更可能为女性，且与受害者有血缘关系。这些结果表明，存在因忽视（与身体虐待相比）导致死亡的独特家庭风险因素，在选择或制定预防措施时可能需要重点考虑。
