Correlates of child abuse potential among African American and latina mothers: A developmental-ecological perspective

The child victimization rate in the US has rapidly grown over the past five years. Today, nine out of every 1000 children are victims of some type of child maltreatment, and lifetime costs of child victimization exceed $100 billion per year. Effective policies promoting fairness and child safety must target the most salient indicators of child maltreatment. In this study, we examined three groups of risk factors for child abuse potential with the goal of identifying the most prominent indicators in a sample of 170 African-American and Latina mothers. Specifically, we analyzed the effect of socio-demographic variables (e.g., SES), child-specific behaviors, maternal trauma and corresponding psychological sequelae on child abuse potential. Variables from all three groups were significantly associated with child abuse potential with maternal SES, alexithymia, depression, and child self-control as well as internalizing behaviors having the largest effects. All factors combined captured over 50% of the variation in child abuse potential. The results highlight the need for programs that not only address the financial needs of low SES mothers, but also the mental health outcomes correlated with low SES. Particular emphasis should also be placed on interventions that address children's social needs, specifically their socio-emotional functioning.