Risk factors for child abuse are the measurable factors that increase the probability of future child maltreatment. These factors include family structures, and cultural and previous history of abuse (Font & Maguire-Jack, 2020). One of the major risk factors is parental substance abuse. When children are born to drug-abusing parents, there are high chances of neglect, leading to abuse, including sexual assault. The second factor is family conflict, whereby parents disagree concerning children’s welfare. These disagreements are common in blended families in which partners with children marry to take care of their children together. Many cases of sexual abuse involve stepfathers who do not consider their stepdaughters as legal family members. Mental health problems are another risk factor for child abuse. Parents or children with mental disorders are more likely to experience sexual abuse. Lastly, a history of child maltreatment increases the probability of future abuse.
References
Barnes, N. (2017). Criminal politics: An integrated approach to the study of organized crime, politics, and violence. Perspectives on Politics, 15(4), 967-987.
Font, S. A., & Maguire-Jack, K. (2020). The scope, nature, and causes of child abuse and neglect. The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 692(1), 26-49.
Levi, M. (2020). Making sense of professional enablers’ involvement in laundering organized crime proceeds and of their regulation. Trends in Organized Crime, 1-15.
Pasha, O. (2018). Can performance management best practices help reduce crime? Public Administration Review, 78(2), 217-227.