Single-Parent Births in California: A Population-Based Examination of the Risk of Child Protective Services Involvement.

IF 1.8 4区医学 Q3 PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH

Maternal and Child Health Journal Pub Date : 2025-04-04 DOI:10.1007/s10995-025-04080-z

Lindsey Palmer, Bryn King, Andrea Lane Eastman, Eunhye Ahn, Julia Reddy, Emily Putnam-Hornstein

{"title":"Single-Parent Births in California: A Population-Based Examination of the Risk of Child Protective Services Involvement.","authors":"Lindsey Palmer, Bryn King, Andrea Lane Eastman, Eunhye Ahn, Julia Reddy, Emily Putnam-Hornstein","doi":"10.1007/s10995-025-04080-z","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Objectives: The current study examined differential rates of child protective services (CPS) involvement between infants with one or two legally established parents at birth.Methods: Vital birth records were used to document all children with a registered birth in California in 2017 (N = 470,854). This birth cohort was then prospectively followed in linked CPS records through age 1 year.Results: Birth records indicated that 7.1% of infants (n = 33,597) had only one legally established parent. Adjusting for sociodemographic factors, infants with only one parent documented on the birth record were more than twice as likely to be reported for maltreatment (IRR = 2.20; 99% CI [2.12, 2.29]). In the overall birth cohort, significant differences in the likelihood of a CPS report were observed by parental sociodemographic factors (education, age, public insurance, race and ethnicity); however, these same factors were attenuated, to varying degrees, among infants with a single legal parent.Conclusions for practice: Infants born with a single legal parent had a higher concentration of factors associated with heightened rates of CPS involvement. Assessing the circumstances associated with single parenthood, such as understanding household composition and who is involved in the infant's care, may explain potential vulnerability and identify service needs.","PeriodicalId":48367,"journal":{"name":"Maternal and Child Health Journal","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.8000,"publicationDate":"2025-04-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Maternal and Child Health Journal","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-025-04080-z","RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH","Score":null,"Total":0}

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objectives: The current study examined differential rates of child protective services (CPS) involvement between infants with one or two legally established parents at birth.

Methods: Vital birth records were used to document all children with a registered birth in California in 2017 (N = 470,854). This birth cohort was then prospectively followed in linked CPS records through age 1 year.

Results: Birth records indicated that 7.1% of infants (n = 33,597) had only one legally established parent. Adjusting for sociodemographic factors, infants with only one parent documented on the birth record were more than twice as likely to be reported for maltreatment (IRR = 2.20; 99% CI [2.12, 2.29]). In the overall birth cohort, significant differences in the likelihood of a CPS report were observed by parental sociodemographic factors (education, age, public insurance, race and ethnicity); however, these same factors were attenuated, to varying degrees, among infants with a single legal parent.

Conclusions for practice: Infants born with a single legal parent had a higher concentration of factors associated with heightened rates of CPS involvement. Assessing the circumstances associated with single parenthood, such as understanding household composition and who is involved in the infant's care, may explain potential vulnerability and identify service needs.

查看原文本刊更多论文

求助全文

约1分钟内获得全文求助全文

来源期刊

Maternal and Child Health Journal PUBLIC, ENVIRONMENTAL & OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH-

CiteScore

3.20

自引率

4.30%

发文量

271

期刊介绍： Maternal and Child Health Journal is the first exclusive forum to advance the scientific and professional knowledge base of the maternal and child health (MCH) field. This bimonthly provides peer-reviewed papers addressing the following areas of MCH practice, policy, and research: MCH epidemiology, demography, and health status assessment Innovative MCH service initiatives Implementation of MCH programs MCH policy analysis and advocacy MCH professional development. Exploring the full spectrum of the MCH field, Maternal and Child Health Journal is an important tool for practitioners as well as academics in public health, obstetrics, gynecology, prenatal medicine, pediatrics, and neonatology. Sponsors include the Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP), the Association of Teachers of Maternal and Child Health (ATMCH), and CityMatCH.