Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Among Japanese Mothers: Focus on Loneliness, Social Support, and Social...

Background/Objectives: Social isolation is a significant risk factor for child maltreatment. However, few studies have examined this relationship across multiple ecological levels, including neighborhood, family, and individual factors. This cross-sectional study operationalized social isolation using social cohesion, social support, and loneliness, and aimed to examine how their inter-relationships influence child maltreatment among Japanese mothers. Methods: Data were collected through an anonymous online survey of 330 Japanese mothers of children aged under six years, conducted April-May 2025. Structural equation modeling was employed in a two-step analytic approach. First, a confirmatory factor analysis was conducted to establish construct validity. Second, the hypothesized structural model was tested to examine the proposed pathways among social cohesion, social support, loneliness, parenting stress, and child maltreatment. Analyses were conducted using weighted least squares with mean and variance adjustment estimation. Results: Higher social cohesion was indirectly associated with reduced child maltreatment via two pathways. First, higher social cohesion was associated with lower loneliness, reduced parenting stress, and decreased child maltreatment (β = -0.063, p < 0.001). Second, higher social cohesion was associated with greater social support, reduced loneliness, lower parenting stress, and decreased child maltreatment (β = -0.043, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These findings highlight that enhancing neighborhood connectedness and alleviating maternal loneliness are key changes that may help to prevent child maltreatment.