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Abstract
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This report assesses current knowledge about the ecological determinants of child maltreatment and presents data from an aggregate study of co-variation between seven community characteristics and maltreatment rates. A review of these findings revealed literature in the early stages of development. Nothing is known about the ecology of sexual abuse, and studies of physical abuse and neglect have done little more than demonstrate co-variation between reported incidence and neighborhood population and housing characteristics. Study findings reveal that (a) five of the seven community characteristics are significant and independent correlates of neglect, and four are correlates of abuse; (b) the strongest predictors of both types of maltreatment are percentage of families with income less than 200% of poverty and percent of vacant housing; and (c) the pattern of co-variation between the two economic stress indicators and three inadequate social support indicators are consistent with the ecological hypothesis. Discussion focuses on interpretation of findings and recommendations for future research.
VioLit summary:
OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study by Zuravin was to examine the relationship between community characteristics and child abuse and neglect, within the ecological theory of child maltreatment.
METHODOLOGY:
The author conducted a quasi-experimental cross-sectional study with a non-probability sample of 206 census tracts in the city of Baltimore, Maryland. The dependent variables were reported incidence of child abuse and of child neglect, measured as averages for the years 1983 and 1984, as rates per 1,000 families with children. The rate for each tract was calculated by dividing the average number of families reported to the Baltimore City Department of Social Services per year, divided by the number of families with children living in the census tract, multiplied by 1,000. Independent variables were divided into indicators of economic stress, and those of inadequate social support. Economic stress was operationalized with two measures obtained from 1980 census information - the first was percentage of families with an income less than 200% below the poverty line, and the second was percentage of families with an income above 400% of the poverty line. These two measures were employed in order to test the hypothesis that maltreatment of children was a function not only of a large proportion of families under economic stress, but also of a small number of families who were free enough of economic strain to support their economically stressed neighbors. Indicators of social support were also obtained from the 1980 census data, and included two measures of stresses placed upon women - percentage of families headed by a female, and percentage of females aged 16 years and older with children under the age of six years who were working outside the home - one measure of population transiency - percentage of families living in their current home for less than one year - and indicators of housing status - percentage of single family residences, and percentage of vacant houses in the tract. Analysis included zero-order correlations, examination of means and multiple regressions.
FINDINGS/DISCUSSION:
The average rate of reported child neglect for 1983 and 1984 was found to be 26 families per 1,000 families with children, whilst the average rate for child abuse was reported at 23 families per 1,000. Both neglect and abuse were found to be significantly correlated with all the measures except percentage of single family dwellings. In order to test the ecological hypothesis of child maltreatment, which states that community characteristics can affect the risk for such behavior, the author employed multiple regressions to determine if economic stress accounted for a significant amount of variation in maltreatment rates, and if inadequate social support also accounted for significant variation, independent of economic stress. Initial analyses did not support the ecological hypothesis, as the relationships between maltreatment and both percentage of females over 16 in the work force and percentage of female-headed household were not in the predicted direction. Beginning with child neglect, the author found that large proportions of families with incomes below 200% of the poverty line, of single family dwellings, of vacant houses and of transient families were significantly associated with higher rates of child neglect, whilst large proportions of working females with children were significantly associated with lower rates - an association contrary to the ecological hypothesis. The author suggested that this finding, which differs from previous studies, might be due either to methodological differences, or to the dramatic increase in the number of women participating in the labor force out of choice rather than necessity since earlier studies had been completed. Large proportions of families with incomes below 200% of the poverty line, of single family dwellings, and of vacant houses were significantly associated with higher rates of child abuse, and, again contrary to the ecological hypothesis, large proportions of working females with children were significantly associated with lower rates of abuse. The relationship between percentage of female-headed households and maltreatment was also not in the predicted direction, so these two variables were removed from the final regression equation. After removing these two variables, results indicated that the hypothesis was supported, as both the economic stress indicators and the social support indicators were in the correct direction to conform to the original hypothesis. The indicators of economic stress accounted for 45% of the variation in child abuse, with the increase in variance when adding social support indicators being 11%. Economic indicators accounted for 49% of the variance in child neglect, with social support indicators adding 14% of explained variance. Percentage of families with incomes under 200% of the poverty line, and the three remaining social support variables, were significantly associated with child neglect, whilst the same economic indicator and percentage of single family dwellings and vacant houses were significantly associated with child abuse. The author concluded that the findings of a covariance between rates of maltreatment and community characteristics were consistent with the ecological hypothesis, providing evidence for a possible contextual consideration in the incidence of abuse and neglect.
AUTHOR'S RECOMMENDATIONS:
The author suggested that future research into the effects of community characteristics upon child maltreatment should be more carefully designed so as to clarify the interpretation of results by removing the possibility of alternative explanations for the findings.
EVALUATION:
The author presents an interesting and informative examination of the effects of community characteristics upon the incidence of child maltreatment. The use of a good sample size, and an average rate over two years to minimize the random variation in rates that is often found in such a phenomenon with a low base-rate, allows for some confidence in the results. However, the use of official data of reported incidence of child maltreatment suggests that many occurrences, being unreported, have been left out of this study. The actual effects of community characteristics upon maltreatment might be very different when total incidence is included, rather than just reported incidence. Nonetheless, the thorough review of the literature, examination of the ecological hypothesis, justification of the theory behind the variables included and explanation of the findings and of alternative explanations for the findings, suggest that this study could provide an excellent basis for future research. (CSPV Abstract - Copyright © 1992-2007 by the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence, Institute of Behavioral Science, Regents of the University of Colorado)
N1 - Call Number: J, AB-184
KW - Maryland
KW - 1980s
KW - Domestic Violence Causes
KW - Domestic Violence Incidence and Prevalence
KW - Domestic Violence Risk Factors
KW - Child Physical Abuse Causes
KW - Child Physical Abuse Incidence and Prevalence
KW - Child Physical Abuse Risk Factors
KW - Child Neglect Risk Factors
KW - Child Neglect Incidence and Prevalence
KW - Child Neglect Causes
KW - Child Abuse Incidence and Prevalence
KW - Child Abuse Causes
KW - Child Abuse Risk Factors
KW - Community Characteristics
KW - Community Environment
KW - Community Risk Factors
KW - Demographic Factors
KW - Ecological Factors
KW - Environmental Factors
KW - Literature Review
KW - Financial Factors
KW - Socioeconomic Factors
KW - Single Parent
Language: en |