How Many Children are Maltreated? - Survey Reveals Youth's Knowledge Of Peer Abuse

The most recent government survey revealed that, in 2002, an estimated 896,000 children under age eighteen were victims of maltreatment. Steve Crabtree reported that a 2003 nationwide survey of teenagers, ages thirteen to seventeen, found that more than one-third (36%) indicated they knew of a person their age who had been physically or sexually abused ("One-Third of Teens Know of Abuse Among Peers," Gallup Youth Survey, The Gallup Organization, Princeton, NJ, May 20, 2003). Nearly twice as many girls (47%) as boys (25%) said that they knew of a friend or a classmate who had been maltreated. (See Figure 4.9.)

According to Crabtree, the Gallup Youth Survey did not ask teens the direct question of whether or not they themselves had been victims of maltreatment, partly

TABLE 4.10

Incidence rates per 1,000 children for maltreatment under the Harm Standard in the NIS-3 (1993), by family income
Harm Standard Maltreatment Category	<$15K/yr	$15-29K/yr	$30K+/yr	Significance of Differences
a All between-group differences are significant at or below the p<.05 level.
b The highest income group ($30,000 or more) differs significantly from the others (p's<.05), but the difference between the<$15,000 group and the $15,000 to $29,999 group is statistically marginal (i.e., .10>p>.05).
ns No between-group difference is significant or marginal (all p's>.10).
SOURCE: Andrea J. Sedlak and Diane D. Broadhurst, "Incidence Rates per 1,000 Children for Maltreatment under the Harm Standard in the NIS-3 (1993) for Different Levels of Family Income," in The Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1996
All Maltreatment	47.0	20.0	2.1	a
Abuse:
All Abuse	22.2	9.7	1.6	a
Physical Abuse	11.0	5.0	0.7	a
Sexual Abuse	7.0	2.8	0.4	b
Emotional Abuse	6.5	2.5	0.5	b
Neglect:
All Neglect	27.2	11.3	0.6	a
Physical Neglect	12.0	2.9	0.3	a
Emotional Neglect	5.9	4.3	0.2	ns
Educational Neglect	11.1	4.8	0.2	a
Severity of Injury:
Fatal	0.060	0.002	0.001	ns
Serious	17.9	7.8	0.8	a
Moderate	23.3	10.5	1.3	a
Inferred	5.7	1.6	0.1	b

because young people may be reluctant to reveal their own abuse. Some blame themselves for the abuse. Others feel ashamed of their experience, while still others are afraid of retaliation from the perpetrator. Interestingly, compared to adolescents who did not know of a friend or classmate who had been maltreated, those who revealed they were aware of a peer's experience with abuse were more likely to use alcohol (40% versus 30% of teens with no awareness of peer abuse), to have smoked in the past week (13% versus 6%), and to have tried marijuana (30% versus 15%). (See Table 4.14.)

TABLE 4.11

Incidence rates per 1,000 children for maltreatment under the Endangerment Standard in the NIS-3 (1993), by family income
Endangerment Standard Maltreatment Category	<$15K/yr	$15-29K/yr	$30K+/yr	Significance of Differences
*All between-group differences are significant at or below the p<.05 level.
ns No between-group difference is significant or marginal (all p's>.10).
SOURCE: Andrea J. Sedlak and Diane D. Broadhurst, "Incidence Rates per 1,000 Children for Maltreatment under the Endangerment Standard in the NIS-3 (1993) for Different Levels of Family Income," in The Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1996
All Maltreatment	95.9	33.1	3.8	*
Abuse:
All Abuse	37.4	17.5	2.5	*
Physical Abuse	17.6	8.5	1.5	*
Sexual Abuse	9.2	4.2	0.5	*
Emotional Abuse	18.3	8.1	1.0	*
Neglect:
All Neglect	72.3	21.6	1.6	*
Physical Neglect	54.3	12.5	1.1	*
Emotional Neglect	19.0	8.2	0.7	*
Educational Neglect	11.1	4.8	0.2	*
Severity of Injury:
Fatal	0.060	0.002	0.003	ns
Serious	17.9	7.9	0.8	*
Moderate	29.6	12.1	1.5	*
Inferred	7.8	2.7	0.2	*
Endangered	40.5	10.3	1.3	*

FIGURE 4.9

TABLE 4.12

Distribution of perpetrator's relationship to child and severity of harm, by the type of maltreatment, 1993
			Percent of Children in Row with Injury/Impairment…
Category	Percent Children in Maltreatment Category	Total Maltreated Children	Fatel or Serious	Moderate	Inferred
+This severity level not applicable for this form of maltreatment.
*Fewer than 20 cases with which to calculate estimate; estimate too unreliable to be given.
^These perpetrators were not allowed by countability requirements for cases of neglect.
SOURCE: Andrea J. Sedlak and Diane D. Broadhurst, "Distribution of Perpetrator's Relationship to Child and Severity of Harm by the Type of Maltreatment," in The Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1996
Abuse:	100%	743,200	21%	63%	16%
Natural Parents	62%	461,800	22%	73%	4%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	19%	144,900	12%	62%	27%
Others	18%	136,600	24%	30%	46%
Physical Abuse	100%	381,700	13%	87%	+
Natural Parents	72%	273,200	13%	87%	+
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	21%	78,700	13%	87%	+
Others	8%	29,700	*	82%	+
Sexual Abuse	100%	217,700	34%	12%	53%
Natural Parents	29%	63,300	61%	10%	28%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	25%	53,800	19%	18%	63%
Others	46%	100,500	26%	11%	63%
Emotional Abuse	100%	204,500	26%	68%	6%
Natural Parents	81%	166,500	27%	70%	2%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	13%	27,400	*	57%	24%
Others	5%	10,600	*	*	*
Neglect:	100%	879,000	50%	44%	6%
Natural Parents	91%	800,600	51%	43%	6%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	9%	78,400	35%	59%	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
Physical Neglect	100%	338,900	64%	15%	21%
Natural Parents	95%	320,400	64%	16%	20%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	5%	18,400	*	*	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
Emotional Neglect	100%	212,800	97%	3%	+
Natural Parents	91%	194,600	99%	*	+
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	9%	*	*	*	+
Others	^	^	^	^	+
Educational Neglect	100%	397,300	7%	93%	+
Natural Parents	89%	354,300	8%	92%	+
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	11%	43,000	*	99%	+
Others	^	^	^	^	+
All Maltreatment	100%	1,553,800	36%	53%	11%
Natural Parents	78%	1,208,100	41%	54%	5%
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	14%	211,200	20%	61%	19%
Others	9%	134,500	24%	30%	46%

TABLE 4.13

Distribution of perpetrator's gender by type of maltreatment and perpetrator's relationship to child, 1993
			Percent of Children in Row with Perpetrator Whose Gender was …
Category	Percent Children in Maltreatment Category	Total Maltreated Children	Male	Female	Unknown
*Fewer than 20 cases with which to calculate, estimate too unreliable to be given
^These perpetrators were not allowed by countability requirements for cases of neglect.
SOURCE: Andrea J. Sedlak and Diane D. Broadhurst, "Distribution of Perpetrator's Gender by Type of Maltreatment and Perpetrator's Relationship to Child," in The Third National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, 1996
Abuse:	100%	743,200	67%	40%	*
Natural Parents	62%	461,800	56%	55%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	19%	144,900	90%	15%	*
Others	18%	136,600	80%	14%	*
Physical Abuse	100%	381,700	58%	50%	*
Natural Parents	72%	273,200	48%	60%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	21%	78,700	90%	19%	*
Others	8%	29,700	57%	39%	*
Sexual Abuse	100%	217,700	89%	12%	*
Natural Parents	29%	63,300	87%	28%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	25%	53,800	97%	*	*
Others	46%	100,500	86%	8%	*
Emotional Abuse	100%	204,500	63%	50%	*
Natural Parents	81%	166,500	60%	55%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	13%	27,400	74%	*	*
Others	5%	10,600	*	*	*
All neglect:	100%	879,000	43%	87%	*
Natural Parents	91%	800,600	40%	87%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	9%	78,400	76%	88%	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
Physical Neglect	100%	338,900	35%	93%	*
Natural Parents	95%	320,400	34%	93%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	5%	18,400	*	90%	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
Emotional Neglect	100%	212,800	47%	77%	*
Natural Parents	91%	194,600	44%	78%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	9%	18,200	*	*	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
Educational Neglect	100%	397,300	47%	88%	*
Natural Parents	89%	354,300	43%	86%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	11%	43,000	82%	100%	*
Others	^	^	^	^	^
All Maltreatment	100%	1,553,800	54%	65%	1%
Natural Parents	78%	1,208,100	46%	75%	*
Other Parents and Parent/substitutes	14%	211,200	85%	41%	*
Others	9%	134,500	80%	14%	7%

TABLE 4.14

Health behaviors of teens who know/do not know of someone their age who has been abused, 2003
	Know of someone their age who has been physically of sexually abused	Do not know of someone their age who has been physically or sexually abused
SOURCE: Steve Crabtree, "Health Behaviors," in One-Third of Teens Know of Abuse among Peers, http://www.gallup.com/content/default.aspx?ci=8437 (accessed August 15, 2004). Copyright © 2004 by The Gallup Organization. Reproduced by permission of The Gallup Organization.
Use alcohol	40%	30%
Smoked in the past week	13%	6%
Tried marijuana	30%	15%