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International Studies on the Incidence and Prevalence of Child Maltreatment:
Selected Bibliography
Prepared by
Lil Tonmyr
under contract to:
Child Maltreatment Division
Division of Health Surveillance and Epidemiology
Centre for Healthy Human Development
Health Canada HPB Bldg. #7, Tunney's Pasture
A.L. 0701D
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0L2
Editing assistance: Sharon Bartholomew
![International Studies on the Incidence and Prevalence of Child Maltreatment: Selected Bibliography](/web/20061214032046im_/http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/cm-vee/publicat/gfx/intstu_e.gif) |
Child Maltreatment Division
Division of Health Surveillance and Epidemiology
Centre for Healthy Human Development
Health Canada
1998 |
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- Reference list
- Incidence Studies
- Annotations
- Table 1: Incidence Studies
- Prevalence Studies
- Annotations
- Table 2: Prevalence Studies
- Registries
Distribution
This bibliography, Cat. H21-143/1998E, ISBN-0-662-26913-6, is available
free of charge from:
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence
A.L.0201A1
Family Violence Prevention Division
Health Promotion and Programs Branch
Health Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1B4
Fax: (613) 941-8930
Fax Link: (613) 941-7285 or toll-free: 1-888-267-1233
or call toll-free: 1-800-267-1291
© Minister of Public Works and Government Services Canada, 1998
Cat. H21-143/1998E ISBN 0-662-82330
Acknowledgement
The Child Maltreatment Division is indebted to the following people,
who assisted with the review of this bibliography:
David Allen, National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, Health Canada
Dre Lynda Fortin, Direction de l'analyse et de la surveillance
de la santé et du bien-être, Québec
Dr. Karl Hanson, Solicitor General, Canada
Dr. Harriet MacMillan, Centre for Studies of Children at Risk, Hamilton,
Ontario
Sandi McLeod, National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect, USA
Karen Mihorean, Statistics Canada
Gordon Phaneuf, Child Maltreatment Division, Health Canada
Marianne Saetre, National Resource Centre for Information and Studies
on Violence, Norway
Marlyn Willis, Human Resources and Development Canada
Dr. David Wolfe, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario
Most of the abstracts provided in the bibliography are drawn from the
identified journal abstracts. They are reprinted with the kind permission
of the different publishers. The publishers are not responsible for
the translations made by Health Canada.
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Introduction
The Child Maltreatment Division, Health Canada, funds the Canadian Incidence
Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect. It is the first such national
incidence study in Canada. In preparation for the study the Division collected
publications on incidence and prevalence studies from many different countries
as well as information on the data collection methods used in studies
of child maltreatment. The publications that were located have been compiled
into two bibliographies: 1) Child Maltreatment Data Collection and Related
Issues* and 2) International Studies on the Incidence
and Prevalence of Child Maltreatment.
This bibliography, on international incidence and prevalence studies,
contains the following information related to child maltreatment research:
-
Abstracts of incidence studies
Tables that summarize the incidence studies with respect to
- country of study
- the source of information
- number of reports of abuse
- number of finalized investigations
- substantiation rates
- types of abuse
- types of abuse by gender
- time frame
- Abstracts of prevalence studies, technical reports and selected information
about secondary analysis
Tables that summarize these studies with respect to
- name of study
- country of study
- age group
- type of abuse
- study size
- sampling method
- mode of data collection
- response rate
- study results
- Abstracts of articles giving information on child abuse registries
Since studies of child abuse vary greatly in the type of study, mode
of data collection, definitions, inclusion criteria and other factors,
they are hard to compare. In the United States, for example, estimates
of child sexual abuse among women range from 5% to 62% and among men from
3% to 27%(1). Vizard(2) has observed that "this
is not merely a research point, since cynics have suggested that the wide
range of (mostly) prevalence statistics now reported in professional journals
and in newspapers could mean that sexual abuse is either so unusual that
it should be seen as a small specialist subject or, conversely, that sexual
abuse is so common in the population that it should be seen as almost
a normal phenomenon."
In addition to methodologic differences, there is sometimes confusion
between incidence and prevalence, meaning that the results of studies
are, at best, not comparable and, at worst, misleading. For the purpose
of this bibliography the following definitions are given:
Incidence of child maltreatment is the number of new cases in
a specific population occurring in a given time period, usually a year(2-4).
Prevalence of child maltreatment is defined as the proportion
of a population at a specific point in time that was maltreated during
childhood(2-4).
Incidence studies based on official reports tend to under report child
abuse for several reasons. Many victims are not known to official agencies,
police or child welfare agencies; they are afraid of being stigmatized
and fear that they will not be believed(5-9). Hall and Flannery(8)
theorize that adolescents do not want their parents to know because they
are afraid of having their activities restricted. Moreover, children are
in a dependent situation, which makes them vulnerable to intimidation(10).
Children often blame themselves for the abuse and the consequences of
disclosure, such as family break up or being put in care(7,11).
MacMillan and colleagues(7) also point out that professionals
sometimes have failed to recognize and report child maltreatment.
Research definitions vary among studies. Haugard and Emmery(12)
found in their study on undergraduates that a broad definition of sexual
abuse, such as experience of exhibitionism, resulted in a higher
occurence of self-reported abuse (9.3%) than a more narrow definition
(7.0%). With an even more restricted definition, such as oral, anal or
vaginal intercourse, 1.7% of respondents reported abuse. In a Canadian
context, Badgley(13) found quite different results when comparing
contact and non-contact sexual abuse.
Since child welfare authorities in different jurisdictions have developed
data systems to meet their own administrative and case management needs,
there are major variations in the data collected and in published reports.
Units of analysis may be either families or children(14).
Definitions of abuse that consider age differences between victim and
perpetrator also create different estimates. Peer assaults are often seen
as unworthy of attention by researchers, but there is no reason to think
that children are less sensitive to peer violence than adults would be(15).
When an age gap of 5 years is used, many sibling and peer assaults would
be excluded(10,16,17). On the other hand, when the same age
is permitted as a criterion, consensual sex between teenagers might be
included, even though few would see it as an abusive act(9,15,18,19).
Some studies limit their definition of abuse to maltreatment by parents;
abuse by relatives other than parents, teachers or babysitters may not
always be captured(20).
The number and nature of questions being asked have varied among studies.
Broad questions involving wide-ranging definitions have the advantage
of a higher rate of spontaneous recall, as found by Finkelhor and colleagues(21).
Questions that include examples of types of abuse that might have been
experienced have achieved higher response rates. Such questions may be
a cue for memory, but there is also a danger of report bias(22).
Comparability of study populations is another difficulty. The tables
in this document present information from studies using samples of different
individuals: community members, physicians, patients, comprehensive school
students, college students and others. Furthermore, among the studies
of college students some include only males, others include only females,
and still others include students of both sexes. In international comparisons,
samples that appear similar may actually be quite different. For example,
colleges in the United States offer only academic programs whereas United
Kingdom colleges combine academic, vocational and training courses, and
students may be part time or full time(9).
The mode of data collection ranges from self-administered questionnaires
to face-to-face interviews. Direct interviewing techniques have provided
higher response rates among women, as shown in Russell's study(16).
Nash and West(23) found that almost a fifth of the respondents
who had not mentioned abuse in the self-administered questionnaire did
so in the interview situation. The more anonymous data collection methods,
such as telephone interviews and self-administered questionnaires, are
more effective for male respondents(24). Some research suggests
that the sex of the interviewer has an effect on response. This seems
to be most important for women, who prefer interviewers of the same sex(5,16,25).
Russell(16) matched respondents and interviewers on the basis
of race and ethnic background to establish rapport. Incentives are at
times built in to the studies to yield a higher participation rate, e.g.,
money, participation for class credit, or allowing time to fill in the
questionnaire during class.
Despite the limitations of comparability of the presented studies, the
Division hopes that the bibliography will provide useful information to
readers. The Division would appreciate information on other incidence
and prevalence studies of child abuse and neglect.
* Copies of this publication are available from the
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence
Health Promotion and Programs Branch, Health Canada
Address Locator 0201A1, Ottawa, Canada K1A 1B4
(613) 957-2938 - Fax: (613) 941-8930
Fax Link: (613) 941-7285 or toll-free: 1-888-267-1233 or call toll-free:
1-800-267-1291
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Reference list
- Ghate D, Spencer L. The prevalence of child sexual abuse in Britain.
Studies in child protection. London: HMSO, 1985.
- Vizard E. Incidence and prevalence of child sexual abuse. In:
Ousten J, ed., The consequences of child sexual abuse. Papers
presented at the Association for Child Psychology and Psychiatry.
London: Guy's Hospital, Occasional Papers No. 3, 1989:10-20.
- Wyatt G, Peters S. Methodological considerations in research on
the prevalence of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect 1986;10:241-51.
- Wyatt G, Peters S. Issues in the definition of child abuse in prevalence
research. Child Abuse and Neglect 1988;10:241-51.
- Sorenson SB, Stein JA, Siegel JM et al. The prevalence of adult
sexual assault - the Los Angeles Epidemiologic Catchment Area Project.
American Journal Epidemiology 1987;126(6): 1154-64.
- Priest R. Child sexual abuse histories among African American college
students: a preliminary study. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
1992;62(3):475-76.
- MacMillan HL, Fleming JE, Trocme N et al. Prevalence of child physical
and sexual abuse in the community: results from the Ontario Health Supplement.
Journal of the American Medical Association 1997;278(2):131-35.
- Hall ER, Flannery PJ. Prevalence and correlates of sexual assault
experiences in adolescents. Victimology: An International Journal
1984;9(3-4):398-406.
- Kelly L, Regan L, Burton S. An exploratory study of the prevalence
of sexual abuse in a sample of 16-21 year olds. London: Child Abuse
Studies Unit, Polytechnic of North London, 1991.
- Flemming JM. Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse in a community
sample of Australian women. Medical Journal of Australia Aust 1997;166
(20):65-8.
- Khan N. Patterns of child sexual abuse in Zimbabwe: an overview.
Zimbabwe Journal of Education Research 1995;7(2):181-208.
- Haugard J, Emery R. Methodological issues in child sexual abuse
research. Child Abuse and Neglect 1989;13:89-100.
- Badgley RF, Allard HA, McCormick N et al. Sexual offences against
children. Ottawa: Dept. of Supply & Services, cat. no. J2-50/1984E,
1984.
- Federal-Provincial Working Group on Child and Family Services Information.
Child and family services annual statistical report. Ottawa:
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence, 1996.
- Finkelhor D, Dziuba-Leatherman J. Children as victims of violence:
a national survey. Pediatrics 1994;94(4):413-20.
- Russell DEH. The incidence and prevalence of intrafamilial and
extrafamilial sexual abuse of female children. Child Abuse and Neglect
1983;7:133-46.
- Schötensack K, Ellinger T, Gross A et al. Preva-lence of sexual
abuse of children in Germany. Acta Paedopsychiatrica 1992;55:211-16.
- Krugman S, Mata L, Krugman R. Sexual abuse and corporal punishment
during childhood: a pilot retrospective survey of university students
in Cost Rica. Pediatrics 1992;90(1):157-61.
- MacKenzie G, Blaney R, Chivers A et al. The incidence of child
sexual abuse in Northern Ireland. International Journal Epidemiology
1993;22(2): 299-305.
- Widom C. Sampling biases and implications for child abuse research.
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 1988;58(2):260-70.
- Finkelhor D, Hoalting G, Lewis IA et al. Sexual abuse in a national
sample of adult men and women: prevalence, characteristics and risk
factors. Child Abuse and Neglect 1990;14:19-28.
- Peter SD, Wyatt GE, Finkelhor D. Prevalence. In: Finkelhor
et coll., ed. A source book on child sexual abuse. Beverly Hills,
CA: Sage, 1986.
- Nash CL, West DJ. Sexual molestation of young girls: a retrospective
survey. In: West D, ed. Sexual victimisation. Aldershot:
Gaver Publishing, 1985.
- Collings SJ. Childhood sexual abuse in a sample of South African
university males: prevalence and risk factors. South African Journal
of Psychology 1991;21(3):153-58.
- Schei B. Prevalence of sexual abuse history in a random sample
of Norwegian women. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine 1990;18:63-8.
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Methods
Search Strategies
The articles selected for this bibliography were identified by consulting
databases and Web sites. Those dealing specifically with prevalence and
incidence studies of child maltreatment were chosen.
Keywords
Incidence, prevalence, international, comparative studies, reliability,
validity, questionnaire, survey, data collection, frequency.
The key words were combined with:
Child abuse, child maltreatment, physical child abuse, sexual abuse,
neglect, emotional abuse, child neglect, battered child syndrome
Languages
English, French, Swedish, Dutch, Norwegian, Spanish, Icelandic
and Danish.
Databases Consulted
Medline (January 1966 - August 1997)
Social Work Abstracts (January 1977- May 1997)
Sociofile (January 1974 - June 1997)
Social Science Index (February 1983 - December 1996)
Psychinfo (March 1997 - August 1997)
Sociological Abstracts (March 1997 - August 1997)
Social Science Abstracts (March 1997 - August 1997)
Books in Print (accumulative database until August 1997)
Eric (January 1966 - July 1997)
Internet Web Sites
UNICEF
World Health Organization
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect
CANDIS (The Child Abuse and Neglect Database Instrument System)
National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center
Consultations
Vrije University, Faculty of Law, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
National Resource Centre for Information and Studies on Violence, Oslo
College, Norway
American Humane Association, USA
National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect, USA
National Criminal Justice Reference Service, Department of Justice, USA
Family Violence and Sexual Assault Institute, USA
National Resource Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, USA
National Clearinghouse on Child Abuse and Neglect Information, USA
International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect, USA
National Resource Center on Child Maltreatment, USA
National Council on Child Abuse & Family Violence, USA
Justice Canada
Statistics Canada
Human Resources and Development Canada
Centre for Youth and Media Studies, Denmark
Youth Research Centre, Sweden
Gothenburg Centre for Youth Research, Sweden
Institute of Tema Research, Sweden
Department of Youth Research, Norway
Youth Culture at Stockholm University, Sweden
Umeå Youth Research Association, Sweden
Centre for Child and Youth Research, Sweden
Institute of Educational Research, Iceland
National Centre for the Protection of Cruelty to Children, UK
Australian Institute of Health & Welfare, Australia
Statistics, Sweden
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