title: An exploratory study of drug-exposed infants: case substantiation and subsequent child maltreatment.
abstract: This study explores factors related to drug-exposed infants' case substantiation and subsequent child maltreatment. Child protective services computerized administrative data (from January 1998 to October 2001) were obtained from an urban Nevada county. The data included 457 drug-exposed infant cases. Chi-square, t-test, one-way ANOVA, and logistic regression were used to analyze the data. Results indicate that: (1) drug-exposed infant case substantiation was related to the type of drug exposure and the unit to which the case was assigned, but not to the mother's ethnicity; and (2) subsequent maltreatment among drug-exposed infants was related to the mother's age and prior parental alcohol abuse, but not to the type of drug exposure, nor to the initial drug-exposed infant status of case substantiation. Implications for child welfare practice and research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of Nevada Las Vegas, School of Social Work, Las Vegas, Nevada 89154-5032, USA. an-pyng.sun@unlv.edu
authors.forename: An-Pyng
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: Sun
authors.forename: Margaret P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Freese
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fitzgerald
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D016241:Child of Impaired Parents / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009034:Mother-Child Relations; D009505:Nevada / Q000453:epidemiology; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health