Race, ethnicity, and child maltreatment: An empirical analysis

The Significance of Ethnic and Cultural Differences in Child Maltreatment

“…For example, they suggest that the lower abuse rates among Mexican-Americans suggest "less manifest aggression and violence towards children" which may reflect socialization patterns producing a "more passively and internally-oriented style of coping with problems and challenges of life" and a personality type that is "more accepting of life's conditions and perhaps less aggressive in interpersonal relations" (Lauderdale et al, 1980). We must view this explanation with caution, of course, because it is easily construed as merely restating a simplistic stereotype.…”

Examining racial disproportionality in child protective services case decisions

“…Data on whether substantiation rates differ by child’s race are contradictory. As early as 1975, data identified higher rates of substantiated maltreatment among black families (Lauderdale, Valiunus, & Anderson, 1980). In contrast, data from the first cohort of the National Survey of Child and Adolescent Well-Being suggested that there were no significant differences in the substantiation rates of black and white children (NSCAW Research Brief, 2007).…”

Institutional racism in child welfare

“…Three explanations are most often provided. First, this higher representation of blacks should be expected, since they have multiple risk factors that predispose them to maltreat their children more than whites (Cappelleri, Eckenrode, & Powers 1993;Gil, 1970;Jason, Andereck, Marks, & Tyler, 1982;Lauderdale, Valiunas, & Anderson, 1980;Spearly & Lauderdale, 1983). Second, this disproportionate representation is said to be due to their poverty status, i.e., since poor families are more likely to be in child welfare than non-poor families, and blacks are more likely to be poor than whites, they should be more highly represented than whites.…”