Predictive model for intra-familial child maltreatment re-reports and recurrence in South Korea: Analysis of national child protection services case records

Background: Child maltreatment recurrence has a significant negative impact on child well-being and may indicate low effectiveness of child protection services (CPS). In South Korea, 10.4% of child maltreatment cases in 2016 had previous CPS involvement. Identifying and understanding significant predictors of child maltreatment re-reports and recurrence has been a critical task in maltreatment research. However, this task has rarely been attempted in South Korea.Objective: This study aimed to examine child maltreatment re-reports and recurrence among children involved in CPS in Korea, identify correlates of child maltreatment re-reports and recurrence with predictors, and explore the consistency or inconsistency of correlates between rereports and recurrence.Methods: The present study analyzed 5349 case records from the National Child Maltreatment Data System, which included information collected by Korean CPS regarding maltreatment, child, parent or perpetrator, and service characteristics.Results: Results showed that the recurrence rate was 5.9% over the two-year period. In contrast to previous studies, neglect was not found to be a significant predictor of recurrence. Perpetrators' problem-solving skills and survival stress, as well as children's disability status, were significant predictors of recurrence. Receiving welfare assistance was a significant predictor of re-reports (AOL = 1.42, p < 0.01) but not a significant predictor of recurrence. Conclusion: Compared to other empirical studies conducted in several countries, we found similarities and differences regarding predictors of child maltreatment re-reports and recurrences. The results reiterate the importance of family intervention to prevent maltreatment recurrence.