Re: Child abuse statistics

[2C0 <psylevin@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

I haven't seen any data comparing adoptive with natural parents re abuse 
related fatalities, and would be surprised if such information existed.
Fatalities are comparatively infrequent, and adoptions are infrequent
comparatively speaking. Natural parents and paramours account for better
than 75% of abuse related fatalities. Step parents and foster parents
account for somewhere between 2% and 11%. I haven't seen any breakdown
by adoptive parents. The data vary by state. You can
find some data on perpetrators of abuse related fatalities
in Levine, M., Freeman, J., & Compaan, C. (1994) Maltreatment related
fatalities:  Issues of policy and prevention. Law & Policy, 16(4),
449-471. 

On Sat, 10 May 1997, Dottie Tatem wrote:

> Gentlemen...
> 
> I am trying to locate statistics dealing with child abuse/child abuse
> fatalities committed by biological parents vs adoptive parents to use in a
> research paper for school.  Unfortunately, though much data is out there, I
> don't seem to be able to lay my hands on statistics that would provide a
> direct comparison between the frequency of occurrence in relationship to
> the biological/sociological caretakers.
> 
> Do you, by any chance, have such statistics available?  I would appreciate
> any assistance you could provide.  Thank you.
> 
> Regards,
> 
> Dottie L. Tatem
> 

Murray and/or Addie Levine
e-mail: psylevin@acsu.buffalo.edu
snail mail:  Dept/. Psychology, SUNY Buffalo, Buffalo, NY 14260
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