Physical and Psychological Abuse Characteristics and the Concordance of Child Protective Services Allegations and Adolescent Self-Reports

Background & Purpose

Measuring child maltreatment presents a significant challenge for research and assessment. Past studies have identified low concordance between official child protective services (CPS) and adolescent self-reports of maltreatment.  However, little is known about how the characteristics of maltreatment represented by CPS and self-report measures may differ.  The current study addresses this lack of knowledge by examining how the concordance of self- and CPS reports of physical and psychological abuse vary by abuse characteristics (e.g., age of exposure, co-occurrence, perpetrator relationship to child, extent). 

Methods

Analytic samples were derived from 637 youth completing 18-year interviews in the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), a national multisite study of high-risk children.  Experiences of physical and psychological abuse between 6-16 years were assessed by self-report to LONGSCAN-developed measures at 18 years and by CPS allegations coded by trained abstractors using Barnett’s maltreatment classification system.  Abuse characteristics included epoch (6-12 years = 1; 13-16 years = 0), chronicity (2 epochs = 1; 1 epoch = 0); co-occurrence with other abuse (physical, sexual, or psychological = 1; none = 0) and neglect (supervisory or physical = 1, neither = 0); child relationship to perpetrator (parent = 1, other family = 1, non-relative = 0); and total self-report scores (# of items endorsed). Control variables included gender, race/ethnicity (Black = 1, White = 1, Other = 0), and parent post-secondary education (yes = 1, no = 0).  Four logistic models regressed any self-report of physical and psychological abuse on CPS-reported abuse characteristics for youth with any allegations (physical abuse = 147; psychological abuse = 136), and any CPS allegations of physical and psychological abuse on self-reported abuse characteristics for youth with any self-reports (physical abuse = 157; psychological abuse = 146). 

Results

Co-occurring self-reports of neglect with physical abuse were related to higher CPS correspondence (OR =3.950, p = .017).  Self-reports of psychological abuse by girls (OR = 3.514, p =.025) and perpetrated by other family members (OR = 3.825, p = .017) were related to higher CPS correspondence. 

Allegations between 6-12 years (vs 13-16 years) had lower self-report correspondence for both physical (OR = .257, p = .012) and psychological abuse (OR = .146, p = .002). Among youth with physical abuse allegations, White (OR = 3.963, p = .023) and Black (OR = 3.316, p = .041) race was associated with higher self-report correspondence.  Among youth with psychological abuse allegations, co-occurring physical or sexual abuse (OR = 7.068, p = .026) and female gender (OR = 3.971, p = .012) were associated with higher self-report correspondence. 

Conclusions and Implications

Findings suggest differences in psychological and physical abuse characteristics represented by CPS and adolescent self-reports that can potentially affect conclusions of research and asssessment.  Specifically, CPS allegations may better represent physical abuse with neglect co-occurrence, and psychological abuse perpetrated by other family members. Self-reports of physical and psychological abuse may be relatively poor representations of earlier epochs, but strong representations of psychological abuse co-occurring with physical or sexual abuse.