Neighborhood factors and child maltreatment: A mixed method study

描述（由申请人提供）：儿童虐待影响了全国五分之一的儿童，并经常导致儿童身体，心理和行为上的深刻后果，这些后果可能持续一生。预防虐待的干预措施是迫切需要的：除了人类痛苦的不可估量的成本外，虐待给社会造成的物质成本每年总计超过1000亿美元。虽然大多数预防工作集中在个人或家庭，但社区是一个既影响虐待率又可能作为减少虐待的潜在干预目标的关键环境。我们在俄亥俄州克利夫兰的混合方法研究和其他地方的研究发现，即使在考虑了家庭和个人因素的影响之后，社区结构因素（经济劣势、居住不稳定、儿童保育负担、移民集中）也与更严重的虐待有关。矛盾的是，自我们20年前的研究以来，克利夫兰的贫困率有所上升，而社区虐待率却有很大差异：其中许多比率下降了，有些急剧下降，有些略有下降，而另一些则有所上升。为什么?我们的研究将确定随着时间的推移，社区生态的差异是如何产生影响的：(1)结构因素所反映的社区条件的差异，以及社区社会过程和不利因素（如枯萎病、犯罪等不良条件）的伴随变化；(2)自研究开始以来，克利夫兰在社会服务的组织和提供、资源投入方面存在显著差异；(3)专业人员（强制）和非专业人员（非强制）对虐待的定义、报告和证实的差异。我们的基本假设是，结构性因素和不利因素对虐待的影响随着时间的推移而发生变化，因为服务的影响有所缓和，以及定义/报告做法的变化导致了证实率的变化。为了实现我们的研究目的，我们提出了一项全面的、嵌套的、混合方法的调查，既进行全市范围的小组研究，也对20个社区进行深入调查，在这些调查中，将收集和分析互补的定性和定量数据，以更全面地了解这3种途径。我们拥有丰富的定量和定性数据存储，可追溯到20年前的社区条件、服务和定义/报告；这是揭示这些途径在长期影响虐待中的作用的独特资源。拟议的研究是创新的：它将比较和对比20年期间的社区条件、服务和定义/报告。这项研究意义重大：全国的专家都不确定影响美国虐待率的因素，而这项研究将解决这些因素。该研究通过确定与减少虐待率相关的特定社区条件、服务要素和定义/报告实践，具有很大的潜力来制定儿童福利政策。此外，由于克利夫兰的情况反映了全国许多城市地区的情况，因此预期的结果将与许多美国城市相关。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Child maltreatment affects 1 in 5 children nationwide and often leads to profound childhood physical, psychological, and behavioral consequences, which may persist throughout the life course. Interventions to prevent maltreatment are critically needed: besides the inestimable cost in human suffering, maltreatment's material costs to society total over $100 billion per year. Though most prevention efforts focus on individuals or families, the neighborhood is a key environment that both influences maltreatment rates and that might serve as a potential intervention target to reduce maltreatment. Our mixed-methods study in Cleveland, OH and research elsewhere found that neighborhood structural factors (economic disadvantage, residential instability, childcare burden, immigrant concentration) are linked to greater maltreatment, even after accounting for the effects of family and individual factors. Paradoxically, since our study 20 years ago, Cleveland's poverty rate has raised, yet neighborhood maltreatment rates have varied widely: Many of these rates have decreased, some sharply, some only slightly, while others have increased. Why? Our study will identify how possible differences over time in neighborhood ecologies may contribute: (1) differences in neighborhood conditions as reflected by structural factors and concomitant changes in neighborhood social processes and dis-amenities (undesirable conditions such as blight, crime); (2) differences in the organization and provision of social services, resources in which Cleveland invested significantly since the initial study; and (3) differences in professionals' (mandated) an non-professionals' (non-mandated) definition, reporting, and substantiation of maltreatment. Our underlying hypothesis is that the effects of structural factors and dis-amenities on maltreatment have changed over time because of the moderating influence of services, as well as changes in definition/reporting practices that result in variable substantiation rates. To achieve our study purpose, we propose a comprehensive, nested, mixed-methods investigation, conducting both a citywide panel study, as well as an in-depth investigation of 20 neighborhoods, where complimentary qualitative and quantitative data will be collected and analyzed jointly for a more complete understanding of the 3 pathways. We have a rich store of quantitative and qualitative data reaching back up to 20 years on neighborhood conditions, services, and definition/reporting; this is a unique resource to reveal these pathways' roles in influencing maltreatment over time. The proposed study is innovative: it will compare and contrast neighborhood conditions, services, and definition/reporting over a 20-year period. The study is highly significant: experts nationwide are unsure of the forces shaping US maltreatment rates, forces which this study will address. The study has significant potential to shape child welfare policy by identifying specific neighborhood conditions, service elements, and definition/reporting practices linked to reduced maltreatment rates. Moreover, because conditions in Cleveland mirror those of many urban areas nationwide, expected results will be relevant to numerous US cities.