Stress, social support, and substantiated maltreatment in the second and third years of life.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this research was to determine whether risk factors for a maltreatment report in the first year of life, especially the interaction of life event stress and social support, persist into the second and third years of life.


METHODS
Predominantly low income mothers who had been interviewed shortly after the birth of infants in a longitudinal cohort were re-interviewed around the infants' first birthdays, and reports to North Carolina's Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect were tracked for substantiated maltreatment reports.


RESULTS
Variables significantly associated with a substantiated maltreatment report in the second or third year of life (p < .01) were first year maltreatment reports and participation in Medicaid. Three interactions between a stressful life event indicator variable and a social support indicator variable were significant predictors of substantiated second or third year reports (p < .05).


CONCLUSIONS
Even in the presence of significant risk factors from the first year of life, life event stress can increase the risk of a substantiated maltreatment report in the second or third years of life, but social support may moderate the effect of life events.
Kotch
J B
JB
Department of Maternal and Child Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA.
Browne
D C
DC
Ringwalt
C L
CL
Dufort
V
V
Ruina
E
E
Stewart
P W
PW
Jung
J W
JW
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000191:economics / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008423:Maternal Age; D009657:North Carolina; D011203:Poverty; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological