Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Child Abuse In The Wake Of Natural Disasters, Thom Curtis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Natural and technological disasters impact thousands of families in the United States each year. Catastrophic events leave homelessness, unemployment, injury, and death in their wake. The cost to society is usually measured in homes destroyed, jobs lost, casualties, and expected dollar expense of recovery. There are the social, psychological, and family consequences of catastrophic stressors. Anecdotal reports suggest that among these consequences is an increase in family violence, including child abuse. This dissertation tests the hypotheses that reported and confirmed child abuse increases in the wake of natural disasters.

Child Protective Services (CPS) records of several jurisdictions that have experienced …