Abstract
This study explored perceptions of community informants on socioenvironmental factors that explain why rates of child maltreatment reporting are different in neighborhoods with similar population characteristics. This study used data from the SoCal Neighborhoods and Child Welfare study, a multiphase, mixed-methods study of neighborhoods in Los Angeles and San Diego counties. Semistructured qualitative interviews with key informants (N = 28) in 22 census tracts explored factors that account for differences in maltreatment rates among sociodemographically similar neighborhoods. Thematic content analysis revealed three themes regarding neighborhood contributors to maltreatment behaviors and reporting: (a) community norms and values, (b) community resources and providers, and (c) housing dynamics and built environment. Findings indicate complexity in forces that affect maltreatment behavior and reporting. Adding to research on neighborhood social dynamics and child maltreatment, findings suggest that composite indicators of maltreatment within neighborhoods are affected by maltreatment behaviors and the definition, recognition, and reporting of maltreatment.
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This research was supported in part by grants from the Children’s Bureau, Administration for Children and Family and the Price School of Public Policy at the University of Southern California.
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All contributing authors have no relevant financial interests pertaining to this manuscript and certify that there are no conflicts of interest, including specific financial interests and relationships and affiliations relevant to the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript.
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All procedures performed in studies involving human participants were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee and with the 1964 Helsinki declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards.
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Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.
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Finno-Velasquez, M., He, A.S., Perrigo, J.L. et al. Community Informant Explanations for Unusual Neighborhood Rates of Child Maltreatment Reports. Child Adolesc Soc Work J 34, 191–204 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0463-3
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10560-016-0463-3