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Child Maltreatment Among Asian Americans: Characteristics and Explanatory Framework

¹ New York University
² Fordham University

^* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: fuhua.zhai{at}nyu.edu.

	Abstract

This article systematically reviews the characteristics of child maltreatment among Asian Americans and provides a theoretical explanatory framework. The reported rate of child maltreatment among Asian Americans is disproportionately low. A high rate of physical abuse and low rates of neglect and sexual abuse are found among Asian American victims. Some protective factors (e.g., the emphasis on family harmony and reputation and the indulgence to infants and toddlers) may lead to low probability of child maltreatment among Asian Americans. Some others (e.g., parental authority and beliefs in physical punishment) may be risk factors of child maltreatment, especially physical abuse. Meanwhile, many other coexisting factors (e.g., children’s obedience to parents and families’ invisibility to authorities) may prohibit child maltreatment from being disclosed. Therefore, the overall low reported rate of child maltreatment among Asian Americans may be a combination of low incidence and underreporting. Implications for practice and research are discussed.

First published on October 29, 2008, doi:10.1177/1077559508326286

Child Maltreatment 2009;14:207.

A more recent version of this article appeared on May 1, 2009


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