title: Family profile of victims of child abuse and neglect in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To describe the family profile of child abuse and neglect (CAN) subjects in Saudi Arabia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected retrospectively between July 2009 and December 2013 from patients' files, which were obtained from the Child Protection Centre (CPC) based in King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Four main sets of variables were examined: demographics of victim, family profile, parental information, and information on perpetrator and forms of abuse.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The charts of 220 CAN cases were retrospectively reviewed. Physical abuse was the most common form of abuse (42%), followed by neglect (39%), sexual abuse (14%), and emotional abuse (4%). Children with unemployed fathers were 2.8 times as likely to experience physical abuse. Children living in single/step-parent households were 4 times as likely to experience physical abuse. Regarding neglect children living in larger households (≥6) were 1.5 times as likely to be neglected by their parents as were children living in smaller households (less than 6). Regarding sexual abuse, male children were 2.9 times as likely to be abused as were female children.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The recent acknowledgment of CAN as a public health problem in Saudi Arabia suggests that time will be needed to employ effective and culturally sensitive prevention strategies based on family risk factors.
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Ministry of National Guard, Health Affairs, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. E-mail. mahamuneef@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Maha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Almuneef
authors.forename: Linah A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Alghamdi
authors.forename: Hassan N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Saleheen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004522:Educational Status; D004651:Employment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017533:Marital Status; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology