TY - JOUR
T1 - Creating and Testing the Reliability of a Family Maltreatment Severity Classification System
AU - Erlanger, Ann C.Eckardt
AU - Heyman, Richard E.
AU - Slep, Amy M.Smith
N1 - Funding Information:
We would like to thank our installation-level points of contact and their clinicians, who generously donated their time and clinical knowledge to help create a useable tool. We would also like to acknowledge Katherine Casillas, PhD, who served as project director on the precursor to this work, creating a solid foundation for this study, and David Lloyd, JD, who was our headquarter-level point of contact. The author(s) disclosed receipt of the following financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article: This project was funded by (a) contract FA8901-06-C-0027 from the U.S. Air Force and (b) a contract from the U.S. Air Force, via the USDA, administered by Kansas State University (2009-48353-06045).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 SAGE Publications.
PY - 2022/4
Y1 - 2022/4
N2 - Child maltreatment and intimate partner abuse determinations often include judgments (e.g., severity) that go beyond whether or not the allegations are founded. Severity ratings inform multiple stakeholders (e.g., researchers, policymakers, clinicians, supervisors) and response pathways (e.g., “differential response” to child maltreatment). However, because severity guidelines typically only provide global direction for raters, these gradations are often of questionable reliability (and thus validity). Extending earlier work developing and implementing reliable and valid family maltreatment substantiation criteria (e.g., Heyman & Slep, 2006, 2009), a classification system for maltreatment severity was created, refined, and field-tested with a sample of clinicians from the largest maltreatment protection agency in the United States The goal was to develop operationalized criteria delineating mild, moderate, and severe maltreatment that could be consistently applied across types of maltreatment, raters, and clinics. To facilitate proper use, a computerized clinical decision support tool for the criteria was created. First, the severity classification system was piloted and refined at four sites throughout the United States. Then, clinicians at these sites (N = 28) and a master reviewer independently rated de-identified cases as part of the clinicians’ routine assessments. Agreement between clinicians and the master reviewer was excellent for all types of maltreatment. Implications for practical dissemination are discussed.
AB - Child maltreatment and intimate partner abuse determinations often include judgments (e.g., severity) that go beyond whether or not the allegations are founded. Severity ratings inform multiple stakeholders (e.g., researchers, policymakers, clinicians, supervisors) and response pathways (e.g., “differential response” to child maltreatment). However, because severity guidelines typically only provide global direction for raters, these gradations are often of questionable reliability (and thus validity). Extending earlier work developing and implementing reliable and valid family maltreatment substantiation criteria (e.g., Heyman & Slep, 2006, 2009), a classification system for maltreatment severity was created, refined, and field-tested with a sample of clinicians from the largest maltreatment protection agency in the United States The goal was to develop operationalized criteria delineating mild, moderate, and severe maltreatment that could be consistently applied across types of maltreatment, raters, and clinics. To facilitate proper use, a computerized clinical decision support tool for the criteria was created. First, the severity classification system was piloted and refined at four sites throughout the United States. Then, clinicians at these sites (N = 28) and a master reviewer independently rated de-identified cases as part of the clinicians’ routine assessments. Agreement between clinicians and the master reviewer was excellent for all types of maltreatment. Implications for practical dissemination are discussed.
KW - child abuse child maltreatment
KW - child neglect
KW - intimate partner violence
KW - partner abuse
KW - severity of maltreatment
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U2 - 10.1177/0886260520961866
DO - 10.1177/0886260520961866
M3 - Article
C2 - 32990144
AN - SCOPUS:85091724705
SN - 0886-2605
VL - 37
SP - NP5649-NP5668
JO - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
JF - Journal of Interpersonal Violence
IS - 7-8
ER -