TY - JOUR
T1 - Perceptions of danger, tolerance of delinquency, and economic disadvantage
T2 - Examining neighborhood influences on child physical abuse
AU - Kotlaja, Marijana M.
AU - Wright, Emily M.
AU - Fagan, Abigail A.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/8
Y1 - 2020/8
N2 - Background: Social disorganization theory posits that both structural and social features of a particular geographic unit are associated with criminal behavior. Despite many tests of social disorganization theory, few studies have assessed its relevance to child abuse. Objective: This study seeks to explain neighborhood variation in child maltreatment. The goal of the current study is to fill this gap by investigating whether or not child physical abuse is related to neighborhood economic disadvantage, perceptions of the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and norms regarding delinquency. Participants and Setting: Data were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) and included 2364 respondents from 79 neighborhoods. The dependent variable, the variety or number of acts of severe child physical abuse, was reported by caregivers, while neighborhood characteristics were based on information from the U.S. Census Data and adult respondents living in Chicago neighborhoods. Methods: A multilevel, over-dispersed, Poisson regression models were utilized to predict the variety of acts of severe physical abuse that a child living within a given neighborhood would experience. Results: Neighborhood economic disadvantage was not significantly associated with greater variety of physical abuse. However, neighborhoods perceived as dangerous had greater variety of physical abuse (b = .25, p < .05), while those with a greater tolerance for deviance had somewhat lower variety of physical abuse (b= −.69, p ≤ .10). Conclusions: These results suggest that some contextual factors may help explain child maltreatment and should be subject to additional research.
AB - Background: Social disorganization theory posits that both structural and social features of a particular geographic unit are associated with criminal behavior. Despite many tests of social disorganization theory, few studies have assessed its relevance to child abuse. Objective: This study seeks to explain neighborhood variation in child maltreatment. The goal of the current study is to fill this gap by investigating whether or not child physical abuse is related to neighborhood economic disadvantage, perceptions of the dangerousness of the neighborhood, and norms regarding delinquency. Participants and Setting: Data were drawn from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) and included 2364 respondents from 79 neighborhoods. The dependent variable, the variety or number of acts of severe child physical abuse, was reported by caregivers, while neighborhood characteristics were based on information from the U.S. Census Data and adult respondents living in Chicago neighborhoods. Methods: A multilevel, over-dispersed, Poisson regression models were utilized to predict the variety of acts of severe physical abuse that a child living within a given neighborhood would experience. Results: Neighborhood economic disadvantage was not significantly associated with greater variety of physical abuse. However, neighborhoods perceived as dangerous had greater variety of physical abuse (b = .25, p < .05), while those with a greater tolerance for deviance had somewhat lower variety of physical abuse (b= −.69, p ≤ .10). Conclusions: These results suggest that some contextual factors may help explain child maltreatment and should be subject to additional research.
KW - Child abuse
KW - Culture
KW - Dangerousness
KW - Neighborhoods
KW - Social disorganization
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104562
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104562
M3 - Article
C2 - 32480102
AN - SCOPUS:85085273238
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 106
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
M1 - 104562
ER -