The Association of Race, Ethnicity, and Poverty With Child Maltreatment Reporting

OBJECTIVES: To determine the role of race/ethnicity and poverty in the likelihood of children younger than age 3 years hospitalized because of child abuse and neglect-related injuries being reported to child protective services (CPS) and being assigned a specific maltreatment diagnostic code. METHODS: We used population-based linked administrative data comprising of birth, hospitalization, and CPS records. Children were identified for maltreatment-related hospitalizations using standardized diagnostic codes. Regression models were used to compute crude and adjusted race/ethnicity estimates regarding the likelihood of being reported to CPS and assigned a specific maltreatment diagnostic code during the maltreatment-related hospitalization. RESULTS: Of the 3907 children hospitalized because of child maltreatment, those with public health insurance were more likely than those with private insurance (relative risk RR: 1.29; 95% confidence interval CI, 1.16-1.42) and those with Asian/Pacific Islander mothers were less likely than those with White mothers to be reported to CPS (RR: 0.78; 95% CI, 0.65-0.93). No differences were found for children with Black, Hispanic, and Native American mothers compared with those with White mothers for CPS reporting. However, children with Native American mothers (RR: 1.45; 95% CI, 1.11-1.90) and public health insurance (RR: 2.00; 95% CI, 1.63-2.45) were more likely to have a specific maltreatment diagnostic code, the second strongest predictor of a CPS report. CONCLUSIONS: Race/ethnicity and poverty were factors for CPS reports during a child maltreatment-related hospitalization. It is necessary to implement programs and policies that mitigate implicit bias to prevent inequities in which children receive protective intervention.