Single-parent children more likely to be abused

    Children in single-parent households are twice as likely as other peers to have been sexually abused, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine said.

    That's because parental absences in single-parent homes provide more opportunities for sexual predators to abuse children, the researchers said.

    Even after adjusting for socioeconomic factors, the study found that children in single-parent families had a higher overall risk of being sexually abused than children with two parents.

    The risk was higher in one-parent homes with lower incomes than in one-parent homes with higher incomes.

    The study was published in the March 13 issue of the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

    "Children being raised by one parent are at a greater risk for many things as they grow up, including health risks such as poorly controlled diabetes and asthma. We now must add childhood sexual abuse to part of this risk picture," said study author Dr. William C. Holmes, an assistant professor of medicine and epidemiology at the UPSM.

    Holmes noted that parental absence is common in single-parent homes because the single mother or father has to work to provide for the family. As a result, children may seek an adult with whom to share experiences and bond.

    "Predators are pretty good at finding and grooming these sorts of kids. They set children up over time, earn their trust, act as parent-substitutes by giving them attention and sometimes gifts," Holmes said.

    The findings from this and other studies show that single parents need more support, such as improving their access to quality child care.

2007-03-19