TY - JOUR
T1 - Emotional Abuse in Children
T2 - Variations in Legal Definitions and Rates Across the United States
AU - Hamarman, Stephanie
AU - Pope, Kayla H.
AU - Czaja, Sally J.
PY - 2002/11
Y1 - 2002/11
N2 - Child emotional abuse has an intangible quality that has resulted in confusion regarding both medical and legal definitions. This retrospective review of emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect rates reported by the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect Data System revealed a 300-fold variation in the rate of emotional abuse across state boundaries. By contrast, the rates of physical and sexual abuses, which are much easier to define, were significantly more consistent. To better understand the potential reasons for the unique variability of emotional abuse, an analysis of sociodemographic factors was performed and no correlations were found. However, a systematic review of state laws on child emotional abuse revealed that states having inclusive civil and/or inclusive caretaker culpability statutes were more likely to report higher rates of child emotional abuse. This study supports a need for child maltreatment researchers and advocates to develop clear consensus definitions to aid the legal community in adopting uniform inclusive statutes to protect children from emotional abuse.
AB - Child emotional abuse has an intangible quality that has resulted in confusion regarding both medical and legal definitions. This retrospective review of emotional, physical, sexual abuse, and neglect rates reported by the National Center for Child Abuse and Neglect Data System revealed a 300-fold variation in the rate of emotional abuse across state boundaries. By contrast, the rates of physical and sexual abuses, which are much easier to define, were significantly more consistent. To better understand the potential reasons for the unique variability of emotional abuse, an analysis of sociodemographic factors was performed and no correlations were found. However, a systematic review of state laws on child emotional abuse revealed that states having inclusive civil and/or inclusive caretaker culpability statutes were more likely to report higher rates of child emotional abuse. This study supports a need for child maltreatment researchers and advocates to develop clear consensus definitions to aid the legal community in adopting uniform inclusive statutes to protect children from emotional abuse.
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U2 - 10.1177/107755902237261
DO - 10.1177/107755902237261
M3 - Article
C2 - 12408243
AN - SCOPUS:84993740435
VL - 7
SP - 303
EP - 311
JO - Child Maltreatment
JF - Child Maltreatment
SN - 1077-5595
IS - 4
ER -