Final answer:
Child mistreatment is statistically more common in single-parent and stepparent households. Abuse can take many forms, notably neglect, and is often perpetrated by parents or relatives.
Step-by-step explanation:
On a statistical basis, child mistreatment is most common in single-parent and stepparent households.
Studies have shown that more than one-quarter of U.S. children live in single-parent households, which implies a significant demographic subject to this concern.
Child abuse can take many forms, with neglect being most prevalent, and unfortunately, parents and relatives are often the perpetrators of such abuse.
Factors contributing to a higher incidence of mistreatment in these family structures include the hardships single parents may face such as financial stress, limited support, and the added challenges that come with blended family dynamics in stepparent situations.
Infants are particularly vulnerable to neglect due to their complete dependency on caregivers. Notably, family structure often varies with the age of the child, with older children more commonly living in households with stepparents.
In the context of stepparent families, 70 percent of children in such arrangements live with their biological mother and a stepfather.
When examining the rates of abuse, other factors also come into play, such as marital status, with separated partners reporting higher rates of abuse, and socioeconomic status, with a higher incidence of intimate partner violence (IPV) reported in low-income areas.