Study Finds Link Between Race, Poverty and Child Protective Services Reporting

A new study has found race/ethnicity and poverty likely were factors for child protective services reports during a child maltreatment-related hospitalization. The study, “The Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Poverty with Child Maltreatment Reporting,” which will be published in the August 2022 issue of Pediatrics (published online July 18), looked at nearly 4,000 children under 3 years old and found no differences for children with Black, Hispanic, and Native American mothers compared to those with white mothers for CPS reporting. Fewer children of Asian/Pacific Islander mothers were reported to CPS compared to white mothers. Children with public health insurance were more likely than those with private insurance to be reported. Children with Native American mothers and public health insurance were more likely to have a specific maltreatment diagnostic code, the second-strongest predictor of a CPS report. It is necessary to implement programs and policies that mitigate implicit bias in order to prevent inequities in which children receive protective intervention, the authors conclude.

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The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety and well-being of infants, children, adolescents and young adults.