Are father surrogates a risk factor for child maltreatment?

Child Maltreat. 2001 Nov;6(4):281-9. doi: 10.1177/1077559501006004001.

Abstract

Most research on the effect of father figures in the home on the incidence of child maltreatment has been cross-sectional and has focused on sexual abuse. This prospective study's purpose is to determine if the presence of a father surrogate in the home affects the risk of a subsequent child maltreatment report. In a longitudinal sample of at-risk children, North Carolina's Central Registry for Child Abuse and Neglect was used to determine the maltreatment history of children from birth to age 8 years. Children who had a father surrogate living in the home were twice as likely to be reported for maltreatment after his entry into the home than those with either a biological father (odds ratio = 2.6, 95 % confidence interval = 1.4-4.7) or no father figure in the home (odds ratio = 2.0, 95% confidence interval = 1.1-3.5).

Publication types

  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Child Abuse / statistics & numerical data*
  • Child Abuse / trends
  • Family Characteristics*
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Humans
  • Infant, Newborn
  • Male
  • Marriage / statistics & numerical data
  • Maternal Behavior / psychology*
  • North Carolina / epidemiology
  • Odds Ratio
  • Paternal Behavior*
  • Prospective Studies
  • Registries
  • Risk Factors
  • Single-Parent Family / statistics & numerical data
  • Spouses / psychology
  • Spouses / statistics & numerical data*