2012 to 2023 Saw Decline in Confirmed Cases of Child Maltreatment

TUESDAY, Nov. 18, 2025 (HealthDay News) -- From 2012 through 2023, there was a decline in child maltreatment confirmed cases, while no change was seen in referrals, according to a study published online Nov. 10 in JAMA Pediatrics.Richard T. Liu, Ph.D., from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, and colleagues examined trends in the incidence of child maltreatment among all Child Protective Services cases in the United States from January 2012 through December 2023 involving children from birth to age 17 years.The researchers identified 7,326,987 confirmed cases from 2012 through 2023, along with 32,980,613 referrals for child maltreatment. There was a decline seen in confirmed cases of all forms of maltreatment (average annual percent change [AAPC], −1.53), except for sexual abuse; no change was seen in referrals. In most confirmed subtypes of maltreatment, declines were found for Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic, and White children (overall maltreatment AAPC, −1.77, −1.81, and −0.74, respectively). Across the study period, disparities persisted; for all maltreatment subtypes, incidence was generally highest among Black children and was lowest among Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Other Pacific Islander children. Mostly decreases in confirmed cases and no changes in referrals for maltreatment overall were seen for both sexes; more maltreatment was experienced by female children, with sexual abuse having the largest and widening disparities over time (z score, 5.52)."Disparities in exposure to poverty may underlie much of the observed racial disparities, and evidence exists that reducing poverty through financial and other assistance programs may yield tangible reductions in risk for child maltreatment," the authors write.Abstract/Full Text (subscription or payment may be required).Sign up for our weekly HealthDay newsletter

2012 to 2023 Saw Decline in Confirmed Cases of Child Maltreatment

Related Stories