Abstract
The identification of potential child maltreatment using reliable and valid screening instruments is of particular importance in high risk populations. The current study investigates the psychometric properties of the Brief Child Abuse Potential (BCAP) Inventory in mothers enrolled in opioid substitution therapy. The BCAP Risk Abuse scale had strong internal reliability. Comparisons between valid and invalid protocols (≥ 4 on the Lie scale, > 1 Random Responding) failed to find systematic differences across most variables although those with a faking good profile had significantly lower scores on psychological well being. A six-factor solution was obtained and was conceptually strong. Subsequent analyses suggested Rigidity may be an independent subscale that needs further investigation. These results add further evidence for the potential utility of the BCAP as a measure of child abuse potential. Replication studies are needed to ascertain whether the subscales derived have convergent and predictive utility.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Baker, L. R., & Ritchey, F. J. (2009). Assessing practitioner's knowledge of evaluation: Initial psychometrics of the practice evaluation knowledge scale. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 6(4), 376–389. doi:10.1080/15433710902911097.
Barlow, J., Fisher, J. D., & Jones, D. (2012). Systematic review of models of analysing significant harm (research report DFE-RR199). London: Department of Education. Retrieved from: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/14070/1/DFE-RR199.pdf
Costello, A. H., & McNeil, C. B. (2014). Differentiating parents with faking-good profiles from parents with valid scores on the child abuse potential inventory. Journal of Family Violence, 29(1), 79–88. doi:10.1007/s10896-013-9557-2.
Dawe, S., Frye, S., Best, D., Lynch, M., Atkinson, J., Evans, C., Harnett, P.H. (2007) Drug Use in the Family: Impacts and Implications for children. Canberra: Australian National Council on Drugs. Retrieved from: http://www.ancd.org.au/images/PDF/Researchpapers/rp13_drug_use_in_family.pdf?phpMyAdmin=rGQ2XkOOsKjMp24r2sFwuVc5ibb
Dawe, S., Dingle, G., & Loxton, N. J. (2013). Screening and assessment of comorbidity. Encyclopedia of addictive behaviours. Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
De Bortoli, L. (2014). Child removal in child protection practice: comparing structured professional judgement and actuarial risk assessment instruments (Thesis). In Monash University. Faculty of Medicine: Nursing and Health Sciences. School of Psychological Sciences.
De Bortoli, L., & Dolan, M. (2014). Decision making in social work with families and children: Developing decision-aids compatible with cognition. British Journal of Social Work, 1–19. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcu087.
Delfabbro, P., Fernandez, E., McCormick, J., & Kettler, L. (2013). Reunification in a complete entry cohort: A longitudinal study of children entering out-of-home care in Tasmania, Australia. Children and Youth Services Review, 35(9), 1592–1600. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2013.06.012.
Dorsey, S., Mustillo, S. A., Farmer, E. M., & Elbogen, E. (2008). Caseworker assessments of risk for recurrent maltreatment: Association with case-specific risk factors and re-reports. Child Abuse & Neglect, 32(3), 377–391. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.06.006.
Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S., Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E., & Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. Lancet, 373(9657), 68–81. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(08)61706-7.
Gilchrist, G., & Taylor, A. (2009). Drug-using mothers: Factors associated with retaining care of their children. Drug and Alcohol Review, 28(2), 175–185. doi:10.1111/j.1465-3362.2008.00017.x.
Gillingham, P., & Humphreys, C. (2010). Child protection practitioners and decision-making tools: Observations and reflections from the front line. British Journal of Social Work, 40(8), 2598–2616. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcp155.
Grella, C. E., Hser, Y.-I., & Huang, Y.-C. (2006). Mothers in substance abuse treatment: Differences in characteristics based on involvement with child welfare services. Child Abuse & Neglect, 30(1), 55–73. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.07.005.
Guerrero, D. (2009). Hypermasculinity, intimate partner violence, sexual aggression, social support, and child maltreatment risk in urban, heterosexual fathers taking parenting classes. China Welding, 88(4), 135–155.
Harnett, P. H. (2007). A procedure for assessing parents' capacity for change in child protection cases. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(9), 1179–1188. doi:10.1016/j.childyouth.2007.04.005.
Hides, L., Lubman, D. I., Devlin, H., Cotton, S., Aitken, C., Gibbie, T., et al. (2007). Reliability and validity of the Kessler 10 and patient health questionnaire among injecting drug users. Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry, 41(2), 166–168. doi:10.1080/00048670601109949.
Hien, D., Cohen, L. R., Caldeira, N. A., Flom, P., & Wasserman, G. (2010). Depression and anger as risk factors underlying the relationship between maternal substance involvement and child abuse potential. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34(2), 105–113. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2009.05.006.
IBM Corp. (Released 2013). IBM SPSS statistics for windows, version 22.0. Armonk, NY: IBM Corp.
Kessler, R. C., Andrews, G., Colpe, L. J., Hiripi, E., Mroczek, D. K., Normand, S.-L., et al. (2002). Short screening scales to monitor population prevalences and trends in non-specific psychological distress. Psychological Medicine, 32(06), 959–976. doi:10.1017/S0033291702006074.
Lawrinson, P., Copeland, J., & Indig, D. (2003). The brief treatment outcome measure: Opioid maintenance pharmacotherapy (BTOM) manual: National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre. University of New South Wales.
Milner, J. S. (1982). Development of a lie scale for the child abuse potential inventory. Psychological Reports, 50, 871–874. doi:10.2466/pr0.1982.50.3.871.
Milner, J. S. (1986). The child abuse potential inventory: Manual: Psytec.
Ondersma, S. J., Chaffin, M. J., Mullins, S. M., & LeBreton, J. M. (2005). A brief form of the child abuse potential inventory: development and validation. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 34(2), 301–311. doi:10.1207/s15374424jccp3402_9.
Price-Robertson, R., & Bromfield, L. (2011). Risk assessment in child protection: Australian Institute of Family Studies. NCPC Resources Sheet No. 24, 24 March 2011. Melbourne Australian Institute of Family Studies. Retrieved from: https://aifs.gov.au/cfca/publications/risk-assessment-child-protection
Radford, L., Corral, S., Bradley, C., Fisher, H., Bassett, C., Howat, N., et al. (2011). Child abuse and neglect in the UK today. London: NSPCC.
Schafer, J., & Graham, J. (2002). Missing Data: Our View of the State of the Art. Psychological Methods, 7(2), 147–177. doi:10.1037/1082-989X.7.2.147.
Smith, N., Lam, D., Bifulco, A., & Checkley, S. (2002). Childhood experience of care and abuse questionnaire (CECA. Q). Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 37(12), 572–579. doi:10.1007/s00127-002-0589-9.
Tabachnick, B. G., & Fidell, L. S. (2001). Using multivariate statistics (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon.
Taplin, S., & Mattick, R. P. (2013). Mothers in methadone treatment and their involvement with the child protection system: A replication and extension study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 37(8), 500–510. doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.01.003.
Taplin, S., & Mattick, R. P. (2015). The nature and extent of child protection involvement amongst heroin–using mothers in treatment: High rates of reports, removals at birth and children in care. Drug and Alcohol Review, 34(1), 31–37. doi:10.1111/dar.12165.
Walker, C. A., & Davies, J. (2010). A critical review of the psychometric evidence base of the child abuse potential inventory. Journal of Family Violence, 25(2), 215–227. doi:10.1007/s10896-009-9285-9.
Walker, C. A., & Davies, J. (2012). A cross-cultural validation of the brief child abuse potential inventory (BCAP). Journal of Family Violence, 27(7), 697–705. doi:10.1007/s10896-012-9458-9.
Whitson, M. L., Martinez, A., Ayala, C., & Kaufman, J. S. (2011). Predictors of parenting and infant outcomes for impoverished adolescent parents. Journal of Family Social Work, 14(4), 284–297. doi:10.1080/10522158.2011.587173.
Zhou, A. Z., & Chilvers, M. (2010). Infants in Australian out-of-home care. British Journal of Social Work, 40(1), 26–43. doi:10.1093/bjsw/bcn058.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Dawe, S., Taplin, S. & Mattick, R.P. Psychometric Investigation of the Brief Child Abuse Potential Inventory in Mothers on Opioid Substitution Therapy. J Fam Viol 32, 341–348 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9821-3
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10896-016-9821-3