While previous research has highlighted a link between children’s exposure to violence and maltreatment allegations, robust estimates of association have been difficult to confirm due to the limitation of small sample sizes.
Linked-administrative data were obtained for all live births in Western Australia from 1990 to 2009 (N=524,534) and their parents, with follow up to 2013. Multivariate Cox regression was used to measure the risk of maltreatment allegation associated with maternal assault admission. Adjustments were made for characteristics known to increase the risk of maltreatment allegation.
One in five children whose mother had an assault admission had a subsequent maltreatment allegation, increasing to more than one in three children when restricted to assault admissions in the prenatal period. More than half of the children who had a maltreatment allegation following a maternal assault admission were Aboriginal. After adjusting for covariates, children whose mother had an assault admission had two-fold increased risk of having a maltreatment allegation. The risk of maltreatment allegation was greatest in young children, 5.5-year-old (SD=4.6), when restricted to maternal assault admissions in the prenatal period the children were younger at 4-year-old (SD=4.1). The time from maternal assault admission to maltreatment allegation was around 12-months longer for Aboriginal children than for non-Aboriginal children.
Maltreatment allegation is common in children following a maternal assault admission. Targeted early intervention is required for families with young children, and pregnant women experiencing violence. Time to maltreatment allegation for Aboriginal children warrants community developed culturally-safe partnerships between Aboriginal communities and government services.