DOI: 10.5176/2251-1865_CBP18.50
Authors: Keong Yuhan Melissa, Grace S. Chng, Grace S. Chng
Abstract: Current literature on child maltreatment in Singapore is relatively limited. This study aims to contribute to our understanding of the associations between risk factors and child maltreatment outcomes. By utilising secondary retrospective data of 580 children who entered the child protection system in the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF), associations and predictive relationships between risk factors and maltreatment outcomes were analysed based on an ecological framework. The study examined patterns of associations across four types of maltreatment: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, and the outcomes of recurrence of maltreatment and re-entry into the child protection system. Results indicated that a higher proportion of caregiver factors had significant associations with the different types of maltreatment as compared to household and child factors. Additionally, two caregiver factors and two child factors surfaced as significant predictors of recurrence of harm in the emotionally abused sub-sample. These results revealed that applicability of ecological models to Singapore, while results that differed from findings in Western literature highlighted the need for more locally-based research. The study’s limitations and future recommendations are discussed.
Keywords: Child Maltreatment; Family Factors; Singapore
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