Change and consistency in descriptions of child maltreatment: A comparison of caregivers’ perspectives 20 years apart

Abstract Although approximately one-fifth of child maltreatment reports originate with family members, friends, neighbors, or community members, their efforts to identify and report child maltreatment are still not well understood. Nor is it well understood how these individuals’ perceptions of what constitutes maltreatment may change over time. This study examined descriptions of behavior perceived as maltreatment by caregivers of minors in Cleveland, Ohio, USA neighborhoods. Data were obtained from two neighborhood-based cross-sectional surveys of caregivers of minors: one conducted in 1995–1996 and the other in 2014–2015. The sample consisted of 400 caregivers living in 20 census tracts with varying profiles of maltreatment risk in the 1995–1996 study, and 400 caregivers living in the same 20 census tracts surveyed in 2014–2015. Each time point, participants were asked to provide three examples of behaviors they considered to be child abuse and neglect. All responses were categorized using the 1995–1996 coding scheme. Logistic regression analyses including all 800 participants, adjusted for individual and neighborhood characteristics, and accounting for residential clustering in neighborhoods, showed that participating in the 2014–2015 survey was associated with 51% increased odds of mentioning an act of neglect and a 39% decreased odds of mentioning an act of physical abuse. No significant temporal changes were observed for inadequate supervision, emotional or verbal abuse, sexual abuse, and parental misbehavior. Associations between specific types of maltreatment and individual and neighborhood characteristics were observed. Potential practice implications and future research directions include seeking greater familiarity with caregivers’ perceptions of maltreating behaviors to better understand how these perceptions might “translate” into child maltreatment reports and investigations.