When Does Child Maltreatment Occur? Daily Variations in Child Maltreatment Among Families Served by the U.S. Air Force Family Advocacy Program

ABSTRACTThe current study examined temporal variations in child maltreatment within a U.S. Air Force database. Relative to comparison days, child maltreatment rates generally decreased on weekends, Thanksgiving, and the first days of a month, whereas rates of specific maltreatment types differed on some holidays: Physical abuse decreased on New Year's Eve and Memorial Day; neglect decreased on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and Independence Day; and emotional abuse decreased on Memorial Day and increased on Super Bowl Sunday. Future research should explore the factors responsible for these patterns of child maltreatment to inform policies aimed at reducing child maltreatment.