Vulnerability and Protective Factors for Child Abuse and Maltreatment

Child abuse occurs across cultures and societies, remaining a critically important public health and policy issue due to its myriad detrimental outcomes. A substantial body of research now focuses on identifying vulnerability and protective factors that moderate children's risk of abuse in tee hopes of being able to understand the mechanisms underlying why and how abuse occurs and to prevent it from happening in the future. Although a comprehensive review of all possible vulnerability and protective factors of child abuse is beyond the scope of this chapter, we describe key findings from the empirical literature organized around three major sections: (a) individual (e.g., gender, gender identity/orientation, age, disability status), (b) parental and familial context (e.g., parental abuse history, parenting practices, substance abuse, co-occurring intimate partner violence [IPV], family composition), and (c) environment and social network factors (e.g., poverty, neighborhood structure, community social support, religion, cultural identity). To understand vulnerability and resilience, we draw on studies that have used diverse sampling strategies (e.g., national surveys from the general population, clinical samples, university students) and methodologies (e.g., retrospective self-report and interviews, review of medical and child welfare records, prospective study designs). Finally, we discuss future directions for, and policy implications of, this body of research.