Subgroups of Risk and Adversity for Families Investigated for Child Maltreatment by Poverty Status

Abstract

Using data from the second National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-being (NSCAW II), we use a latent class analysis (LCA) to describe subpopulations of families investigated for child maltreatment, distinguished by sets of risk factors. We do this separately for families above and below the federal poverty line for comparison purposes. We also examine characteristics that predict membership in these subgroups. We find both similarities and differences in risk combinations and predictors by poverty status. Results from these analyses shed light on the significant proportion of families who become involved with the child welfare system through a child maltreatment investigation but who do not live in poverty—an understudied group. Findings inform service needs for different types of families, as well as suggesting a need for new sociological theories less reliant on economic hardship and poverty as the predominant driver of child welfare involvement.