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. 2022 Aug 1;150(2):e2021053346.
doi: 10.1542/peds.2021-053346.

The Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Poverty With Child Maltreatment Reporting

Rebecca Rebbe  1 , Kierra Mp Sattler  2 , Joseph A Mienko  3
Affiliations

The Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Poverty With Child Maltreatment Reporting

Rebecca Rebbe et al. Pediatrics. .

Abstract

Objectives: To determine the role of race/ethnicity and poverty in the likelihood of children younger than age 3 years hospitalized because of child abuse and neglect-related injuries being reported to child protective services (CPS) and being assigned a specific maltreatment diagnostic code.

Methods: We used population-based linked administrative data comprising of birth, hospitalization, and CPS records. Children were identified for maltreatment-related hospitalizations using standardized diagnostic codes. Regression models were used to compute crude and adjusted race/ethnicity estimates regarding the likelihood of being reported to CPS and assigned a specific maltreatment diagnostic code during the maltreatment-related hospitalization.

Results: Of the 3907 children hospitalized because of child maltreatment, those with public health insurance were more likely than those with private insurance (relative risk [RR]: 1.29; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.42) and those with Asian/Pacific Islander mothers were less likely than those with White mothers to be reported to CPS (RR: 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93). No differences were found for children with Black, Hispanic, and Native American mothers compared with those with White mothers for CPS reporting. However, children with Native American mothers (RR: 1.45; 95% CI, 1.11-1.90) and public health insurance (RR: 2.00; 95% CI, 1.63-2.45) were more likely to have a specific maltreatment diagnostic code, the second strongest predictor of a CPS report.

Conclusions: Race/ethnicity and poverty were factors for CPS reports during a child maltreatment-related hospitalization. It is necessary to implement programs and policies that mitigate implicit bias to prevent inequities in which children receive protective intervention.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Disclosures (includes financial disclosures): The authors do not have conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Rate of Maltreatment Hospitalizations by Maternal Race/Ethnicity and Hospitalization Type
Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Rate of Maltreatment Hospitalizations by Maternal Race/Ethnicity and Hospitalization Type
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Percent of Maltreatment Hospitalizations Resulting in CPS Reports and Specific Maltreatment Codes by Maternal Race/Ethnicity
Figure 3.
Figure 3.
Relative Risk of Diagnostic Code and CPS Report Regression Models
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