The aims of this study were to identify patterns of abuse and neglect over time and compare recurrent maltreatment by the same perpetrator with recurrent maltreatment by different perpetrators. The sample consisted of 400 referrals to police child protection units, 24% of which were subjected to at least one rereferral within the 27-month follow-up. The greatest risk of referral was in the first 30 days. A study of 54 firsttime referrals who were later rereferred showed that 57% had suffered repeat victimization by the same perpetrator, 25% suffered revictimization by a different perpetrator, and 18% suffered both. Police response was not related to either the rate or type of rereferral, although one quarter of perpetrators have been previously in contact with the police. The most predictive warning signs of rereferral were family psychiatric problems, drug or alcohol abuse, in addition to child learning difficulties, behavioral problems, or previous referrals.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
Belsky, J.
(1993). Etiology of child maltreatment: A developmental-ecological analysis. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 413-434.
2.
Berliner, L.
(1994). Commentary: The problem with neglect. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 9, 556.
3.
Bridgeman, C.
, & Hobbs, L. (1998). Preventing repeat victimisation: The police officers' guide (2nd ed.). London: Police Policy Directorate, Home Office Police Research Group.
4.
Briere, J.
(1992). Child abuse trauma: Theory and treatment of the lasting effects. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
5.
Browne, K. D.
, Falshaw, L., & Hamilton, C. E. (1995). Characteristics of young persons resident at the Glenthorne Centre during the first half of 1995. Youth Treatment Service Journal, 1, 52-71.
6.
Browne, K. D.
, & Hamilton, C. E. (1997). The repeat and revictimisation of children: Possible influences on recollections for trauma. In J. D. Read & D. S. Lindsay (Eds.), Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice (pp. 425-434). New York: Plenum Press.
7.
Browne, K. D.
, & Herbert, M. (1997). Preventing family violence. Chichester, UK: Wiley.
8.
Browne, K. D.
, & Saqi, S. (1988). Approaches to screening for child abuse and neglect. In K. D. Browne, C. Davies, & P. Stratton (Eds.), Early prediction and prevention of child abuse (pp. 57-86). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
9.
Claussen, A. H.
, & Crittenden, P. M. (1991). Physical and psychological maltreatment: Relations among types of maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 15, 5-18.
10.
Cohn, A. H.
, & Daro, D. (1987). Is treatment too late: What ten years of evaluative research tells us. Child Abuse and Neglect, 11, 201-211.
11.
Coleman, H.D.J. (1995). A longitudinal study of a family preservation program. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Utah, Salt Lake City.
12.
Creighton, S. J.
(1992). Child abuse trends in England and Wales 1988-1990: An overview from 1973-1990. London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
13.
Creighton, S. J.
, & Noyes, P. (1989). Child abuse trends in England and Wales, 1983-1987. London: National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children.
14.
Crittenden, P. M.
(1985). Maltreated infants: Vulnerability and resilience. Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 26, 85-96.
15.
Daly, M.
, & Wilson, M. (1985). Child abuse and other risks of not living with both parents. Ethology and Sociobiology, 6, 197-210.
16.
DePanfilis, D. (1995). Epidemiology of child maltreatment recurrences. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, Baltimore.
17.
DePanfilis, D.
, & Zuravin, S. J. (1998). Rates, patterns, and frequency of child maltreatment recurrences among families known to CPS. Child Maltreatment, 3, 27-42.
18.
Department of Health
. (1989). An introduction to the Children Act 1989. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
19.
Department of Health
. (1995). Child protection: Messages from research. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
20.
Department of Health
. (1998). Children and young persons on Child Protection Registers year ending 31st March 1998, England. In Department of Health personal social services local authority statistics. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
21.
Dubowitz, H.
(1994). Commentary: Neglecting the neglect of neglect. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 9, 556-560.
22.
Falkov, A.
(1997). Adult psychiatry—A missing link in the child protection network: A response to Reder and Duncan. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 78, 586-613.
23.
Finkelhor, D.
(1984). Child sexual abuse: New theory and research. New York: Free Press.
24.
Finkelhor, D.
(1986). A sourcebook on child sexual abuse. Beverly Hills, CA: Sage.
25.
Finkelhor, D.
(1993). Epidemiological factors in the clinical identification of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 67-70.
26.
Finkelhor, D.
(1994). The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18, 409-417.
27.
Finkelhor, D.
, & Baron, L. (1986). Risk factors for sexual abuse. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 1, 19-28.
28.
Finkelhor, D.
, Hotaling, G., Lewis, I. A., & Smith, C. (1990). Sexual abuse in a national survey of adult men and women: Prevalence, characteristics and risk factors. Child Abuse and Neglect, 14, 19-28.
29.
Fluke, J. D.
, Yuan, Y. T., & Edwards, M. (1999). Recurrence of maltreatment: An application of the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 633-650.
30.
Fromuth, M. E.
(1986). The relationship of childhood sexual abuse with later psychological and sexual adjustment in a sample of college women. Child Abuse and Neglect, 10, 5-15.
31.
Fryer, G. E.
, & Miyoshi, T. J. (1994). A survival analysis of the revictimization of children: The case of Colorado. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18, 1063-1071.
32.
Gelles, R. J.
(1989). Child abuse and violence in single parent families: Parent absence and economic deprivation. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 59, 492-501.
33.
Hamilton, C. E.
, & Browne, K. D. (1997). Repeated abuse during childhood. In J. Dunovsky, P. Weiss, & O. Trojan (Eds.), Child sexual abuse and sexual violence (pp. 34-39). Prague, Czech Republic: Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs.
34.
Hamilton, C. E.
, & Browne, K. D. (1998). The repeat victimization of children: Should the concept be revised?Aggression and Violent Behaviour, 3, 47-60.
35.
Herbert, M.
(1987). Conduct disorders of childhood and adolescence: A social learning perspective (2nd ed.). Chichester, UK: Wiley.
36.
Himelein, M. J.
(1995). Risk factors for sexual victimization in dating. Psychology of Women Quarterly, 19, 31-48.
37.
Hough, M.
, & Mayhew, P. (1983). The British Crime Survey: First report. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
38.
Jones, D.P.H.
(1987). The untreatable family. Child Abuse and Neglect, 11, 409-420.
39.
Jupp, V.
(1989). Methods of criminological research. London: Unwin-Hyman.
40.
Kendall-Tackett, K.
, & Eckenrode, J. (1996). The effects of neglect on academic achievement and disciplinary problems: A development perspective. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20, 161-169.
41.
Koss, M. P.
, & Dinero, T. E. (1989). Discriminant analysis of risk factors for sexual victimization among a national sample of college women. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 57, 242-250.
42.
Krahe, B.
, Scheinberger-Olwig, R., Waizenhofer, E., & Kolpin, S. (1999). Childhood sexual abuse and revictimisation in adolescence. Child Abuse and Neglect, 23, 383-394.
43.
Magura, M.
(1981). Are services to protect children effective?Children and Youth Services Review, 3, 193.
44.
Mayall, A.
, & Gold, S. R. (1995). Definitional issues and mediating variables in revictimization of women sexually abused as children. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 10, 26-42.
45.
Mirlees-Black, C.
, Budd, T., Partridge, S., & Mayhew, P. (1998). The 1998 British Crime Survey: England and Wales. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
46.
Moeller, T.
, Bachmann, G., & Moeller, J. (1993). The combined effects of physical, sexual and emotional abuse during childhood: Long term health consequences for women. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17, 623-640.
47.
National Board for Crime Prevention
. (1994). Wise after the event: Tackling repeat victimisation. London: Her Majesty's Stationery Office.
48.
Ney, P. G.
, Fung, T., & Wickett, A. R. (1994). The worst combination of child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse and Neglect, 18, 705-714.
49.
Pease, K.
(1998). Repeat victimisation: Taking stock. In B. Webb (Ed.), Crime detection and prevention series [Monograph; paper 90]. London: Home Office Police Policy Directorate.
50.
Reder, P.
, & Duncan, S. (1997). Adult psychiatry—A missing link in the child protection network. Child Abuse Review, 6, 35-40.
51.
Schuerman, J. R.
, Rzepnicki, T. L., & Littell, J. H. (1994). Putting families first: An experiment in family preservation. New York: Walter de Gruyer.
52.
Widom, C. S.
(1988). Sampling biases and implications for child abuse research. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 58, 260-270.
53.
Wolfe, D.
(1987). Child abuse: Implications for child development and psychopathology. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
