Children who experience abuse or neglect can suffer from the consequences of their maltreatment long into adulthood, leading to significant economic costs associated with healthcare expenses, productivity losses, child welfare, interactions with the criminal justice system and special education needs.

A new research study quantifies these costs by state, showing the lifetime economic burden for substantiated cases of child abuse in Tennessee from just one year is estimated at $8.4 billion. These costs are paid for by victims as well as taxpayers, since many outcomes result in increased demands on public services.

The research study, published in the Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, estimated the economic burden for each state from reported cases in Federal Fiscal Year 2018. In Tennessee that year, more than 87,000 cases of abuse or neglect were investigated, more than 9,000 were substantiated and 47 children died as a result of abuse. The $8.4 billion figure for Tennessee reflects the additional economic costs the victims from 2018 and the state of Tennessee will endure through the duration of their lifetime as a result of their abuse. The release of the study is timely as April is nationally recognized as Child Abuse Prevention Month.

"We know that child abuse is underreported, which means that the real economic cost is actually much higher than this estimate," Kristen Davis, CEO of Prevent Child Abuse Tennessee, said. "More importantly, no dollar amount can accurately reflect the physical, mental and emotional suffering victims endure. This is why our work is focused on prevention. And the best way to prevent child abuse is to give parents the knowledge and support to build a home environment that nurtures the healthy development of their children. We have always known our work provides a real societal value, and this study starts to put a number on that value."

The research study, titled "Economic Burden of Known Cases of Child Maltreatment from 2018 in Each State," relies on data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS), which tracks cases of child maltreatment reported to child protective service agencies in all 50 states. The economic burden for each state is calculated by multiplying a per victim cost estimate developed in a previous study with the number of investigated and substantiated cases reported by NCANDS. (See charts below.)

Source: Klika, J.B., Rosenzweig, J. & Merrick, M. "Economic Burden of Known Cases of Child Maltreatment from 2018 in Each State." Child Adolesc Soc Work J (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-020-00665-5

"This new report illuminates the value of our work, but past research has also shown that the support our organization provides to families can effectively curb these outcomes," Davis said. "We know that home visiting services for parents who lack positive support systems does prevent child abuse and neglect from happening. We primarily work with families during the first five years of a child's life, when their brain is developing the fastest and is most vulnerable to adverse experiences. This new study shows that we must continue investing in evidence-based home visiting programs across our state. When we support strong families and keep children safe, all of Tennessee does better as a result."

The study points out that reported cases of child abuse tend to reflect just the "tip of the iceberg." Even still, NCANDS reports show approximately 678,000 investigated cases of child abuse and neglect in the United States in FFY 2018, a rate of 9.2 cases per 1,000 children. The study concludes that "greater efforts are needed to move 'upstream' to prevent abuse and neglect from ever occurring in the first place."