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Community level factors and child maltreatment rates
C J Coulton1, J E Korbin, M Su
1Case Western Reserve University, USA.
Child Development
|October 1, 1995
Summary
Child maltreatment rates are linked to neighborhood social and economic factors like poverty and instability. These community-level issues also correlate with other signs of social disorganization, indicating shared root causes.
Area of Science:
- Sociology
- Criminology
- Public Health
Background:
- Child maltreatment is a significant social problem with complex origins.
- Understanding the community-level factors influencing child maltreatment is crucial for effective intervention.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the relationship between neighborhood structural determinants and officially reported child maltreatment rates.
- To explore the correlation between child maltreatment and indicators of community social organization and control.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of census and administrative agency data for 177 urban census tracts.
- Statistical examination of the association between neighborhood characteristics and child maltreatment rates.
Main Results:
- Child maltreatment rates are associated with economic and family resources, residential instability, and proximity to concentrated poverty.
- Higher risk of maltreatment is observed in neighborhoods with poverty, high child-to-adult ratios, population turnover, and a concentration of female-headed families.
- Child maltreatment rates correlate with other indicators of community social disorganization.
Conclusions:
- Child maltreatment is a manifestation of broader issues in community social organization.
- Macro-social conditions that contribute to urban problems also influence child maltreatment.
- Neighborhood context plays a critical role in the occurrence of child maltreatment.