Community Risk and Protective Factors Related to Child Maltreatment in Native Hawaiian Families: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

Native Hawaiians are overrepresented in both child maltreatment and foster care entry rates in Hawaii’s child welfare system. While these racial disparities are well-documented, less is known about the reasons for why they are happening. This multi-method study analyzed 2019 data from the Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) to describe child sociodemographics and risk factors of Native Hawaiians in Hawaii’s foster care system (N=1,831). Fourteen qualitative interviews were conducted to explore the patterns and precipitating factors that contribute to child maltreatment and varying reasons for home removal and foster care entry among Native Hawaiian children. The study also assessed how the Coronavirus pandemic affected Native Hawaiian families in order to understand family resilience factors during times of adversity. Little differences were found in the analysis of the risk profiles between Native Hawaiian children and children of other racial groups. Findings from the qualitative interviews indicate that the identified risk factors for child maltreatment are rooted within a historical context and the positive value and proper treatment of children is compromised by the contemporary problems experienced by Native Hawaiians. Culturally related family factors are imperative to the development of protective factors for child maltreatment in Native Hawaiian families. Directions for future research include study replication with a more generalizable sample, and the examination of systemic-level factors that are above and beyond the risk factors in this study.