Unemployment associated with increased incidence of child maltreatment

SAN FRANCISCO — Increases in unemployment rates are directly associated with escalating incidence of child maltreatment, data presented here at the 2010 American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition suggest.

To evaluate the relationship between economic circumstances and child maltreatment, researchers from The Ohio State University in Columbus, the Boston Medical Center and the Boston University School of Medicine, compared state-level unemployment rates with child maltreatment rates between 1990 and 2008.

Unemployment data were obtained from the Current Population Survey from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and child maltreatment data were retrieved from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. To adjust for reporting differences, the researchers reviewed child maltreatment information on a state-by-state basis.

Results revealed that each 1% increase in unemployment rates correlated with at least a 0.5 per 1,000 increase in confirmed child maltreatment reports 1 year later. Data also indicated that higher levels of unemployment increase risk for child maltreatment.

A prolonged period of high unemployment rates has negative ramifications for children’s mental and physical well-being as well as for the economy, according to the researchers.

“When times are bad, children suffer,” said study researcher Robert Sege, MD, PhD, FAAP, professor of pediatrics at Boston University School of Medicine and director of the division of ambulatory pediatrics at Boston Medical Center. “These results suggest that programs to strengthen families and prevent maltreatment should be expanded during economic downturns.”

For more information:

Zagorsky J. What happens to child maltreatment when unemployment goes up? 11475. Presented at: 2010 AAP National Conference and Exhibition; Oct. 2-5, 2010; San Francisco.

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