WASHINGTON - The federal government yesterday reported an alarming increase in the incidence of child abuse and neglect in this country, relying on a comprehensive study designed to go beyond the number of officially reported cases in measuring one of the nation's most severe social problems.
The study, released by the Department of Health and Human Services, indicated that the number of child abuse and neglect cases rose from an estimated 1.4 million cases in 1986 to an estimated 2.8 million cases in 1993. Over the same period, the study estimated that the number of children who were seriously injured as a result of maltreatment climbed from 143,000 to nearly 570,000.
But as the incidence of abuse and neglect rose dramatically, the number of cases investigated by state agencies remained about the same, according to the National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect. As a result, the proportion of cases that were investigated declined from 44 percent in 1986 to 28 percent in 1993.
The numbers offer a stark reminder of the scope of a problem that experts say has risen as a result of poverty and drug use among young families with children. It is an issue that has gained notoriety across the country with the deaths of children at the hands of their parents.
And as the problem has increased, many state and local child-protection agencies have become mired in serious problems of poor management: nearly two dozen states and the District of Columbia operate their systems under court settlements or injunctions.
"It is shameful and startling to see that so many more children are in danger and that proportionately fewer incidents are investigated," said HHS Secretary Donna Shalala.
The study released yesterday, the National Incidence Study, includes cases of abuse and neglect reported by public agencies, but it also conducts a survey of more than 5,600 randomly selected "community professionals," from classroom teachers to day-care workers and health-care providers.