Benefits of longitudinally linked national records of child maltreatment report and foster care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The Report and Placement Integrated Data System (RAPIDS) integrates two U.S. national data systems-NCANDS' child maltreatment report (CMR) records and AFCARS' foster care (FC) records-into a single longitudinal dataset spanning 2006-2021. This integration enables comprehensive child maltreatment analysis by linking the annual files from these previously separate systems.

Objective

To explore benefits of RAPIDS data in understanding CMR outcomes.

Participants and setting

Children aged 0-10 years with CMRs in 2018 (N = 2,371,119).

Methods

Using logistic regression, we modeled five outcomes: two current outcomes from 2018 index reports (substantiation and foster care entry) and three future outcomes within two years (re-report, substantiated re-report, and foster are entry). For each outcome, we compared models using only index report data without RAPIDS variables against models incorporating RAPIDS-enabled variables that capture longitudinal patterns across reports, placements, and siblings.

Results

RAPIDS data improved model performance across all outcomes, with greater gains for future outcomes. Overall model fit (Tjur's R²) increased for substantiation (11.75 % → 12.53 %), FC entry (4.17 % → 6.38 %), rereport (0.94 % → 4.99 %), substantiated rereport (1.04 % → 3.31 %), and future FC entry (0.85 % → 2.51 %). Predictive performance also improved: at 80 % sensitivity, specificity increased for substantiation (54 % → 56 %), FC entry (52 % → 58 %), rereport (27 % → 36 %), substantiated rereport (33 % → 42 %), and future FC entry (37 % → 49 %). Additionally, RAPIDS data enabled analysis of a wider array of predictors and their associations with outcomes, fully utilizing national longitudinal CMR and FC records.

Conclusions

RAPIDS data enhance explanatory power and predictive accuracy, enabling nationwide, longitudinal analysis of CMR and FC records and offering valuable insights into risk and protective factors.

SUBMITTER: Kim H 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12853404 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature