Victims of child abuse and neglect in the U.S. Army.

OBJECTIVE: The two main objectives of the study were: (1) to contrast child maltreatment victim rates in U.S. Army and civilian populations; (2) to identify the demographic characteristics of Army children at increased risk for the following types of child maltreatment: major physical abuse, minor physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, sexual maltreatment, and neglect.

METHOD: This study presents a descriptive analysis of child maltreatment victims in the United States Army during the years 1992 and 1993. Data on all substantiated child maltreatment cases in the Army Family Advocacy Central Registry were obtained from the Army Medical Department's Patient Administration System and Biostatistics Activity. Rates of abuse for demographic subsets of the population were calculated and compared.

RESULTS: Major findings include the following: The overall rate of child maltreatment appears to be lower in the Army than in the general population. Rates of neglect were markedly lower in the Army population. Young children and children with lower ranking sponsors were at greatest risk for major physical abuse and neglect. Boys were neglect victims more frequently than girls. Teenage girls were the highest risk group for minor physical abuse, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse. At younger ages, boys had greater risk of minor physical abuse, while girls again had greater risk of sexual abuse.

CONCLUSIONS: The Department of the Army sponsors an extensive program of child abuse prevention initiatives. This program may be strengthened by emphasizing prevention services to the identified high risk groups.