Home Visitation Screening for Child Abuse Assessment in Korea

Abstract

Purpose : The purpose of this study was to facilitate home visits to assess the current rate of child abuse in order to provide an agenda for the early detection and prevention of child abuse and neglect in Korea. Methods : For this retrospective descriptive research, 20 public health centers were selected, 1,991 families were visited and 2,680 children were assessed. Results : We found 415 cases (15.5%) of potential abuse and 7 cases (0.3%) of actual abuse. The greatest risk group was to children age 4 to 6 years. According to the HOME Inventory, there were 17 infants (5.8%) presenting a potential risk for child abuse and neglect. Conclusion : Visitation screening is highly recommended for prevention in the high-risk preschool age group.