Suchergebnisse

This study examined rates of youth-reported maltreatment history and the association between youth-reported maltreatment and foster care history across four racial/ethnic groups in a public system of care. Interviews were conducted with 1,045 youth (European Americans, African Americans, Hispanic Americans, and Asian Pacific Islanders) and their primary caregivers, sampled from one of five service sectors (alcohol/drug services, child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health, and special education) in San Diego. Overall, racial/ethnic differences in youth-reported maltreatment were minimal. However, in the child welfare sector, African American youth self-reported maltreatment less frequently than other youth. There were significant racial/ethnic differences in foster care history, with African Americans far more likely to have been placed, even after controlling for youth-reported maltreatment, income, age, and gender. Furthermore, maltreatment history was associated with placement for all youth except African Americans. These results suggest that the overrepresentation of minority children in child welfare does not stem from greater rates of maltreatment.

One thousand and ten Non-Hispanic White, African American, Hispanic, and Asian Pacific Islander youth who were high risk and receiving public sector services were interviewed regarding history of child emotional and physical abuse and current internalizing symptoms. The study examined whether race moderated the association between adolescents' reports of specific parent behaviors and their self-labeling as victims of abuse. The study also examined whether reports of parental behaviors or self-labeled abuse better predicted internalizing symptoms, and whether these associations differed by race. When reporting punitive parent behavior, Non-Hispanic White youth were more likely to describe themselves as abused compared to Asian Pacific Islanders. Reported punitive parental behaviors accounted for more variance in internalizing symptoms than did self-labeled abuse. Reports of parent behaviors were more strongly related to concurrent internalizing symptoms among ethnic minority youth than among Non-Hispanic White youth. Results are discussed in the context of cultural competence in identification of child abuse.