Background

Extensive research has documented the importance of neighborhood contextual factors in shaping maltreatment risk. Evidence is limited about the role of economic inequality within neighborhoods, which has increased substantially in the US over the past decade.

Objective

This study examines the relationship between neighborhood-level inequality and child maltreatment risk, paying particular attention to the cross-level interactions between neighborhood inequality and family income.

Participants and setting

A population-based cohort of 4,898 children born in large US cities was sampled in 1998–2000 and followed up at ages 1, 3, 5, and 9.

Method

A set of regression models was analyzed to estimate the associations of family income, neighborhood inequality (operationalized as terciles of the Gini coefficient), and the interaction of these with child maltreatment risk, operationalized as physical abuse, psychological abuse, neglect, CPS involvement, and spanking.

Results

Low-income was associated with higher risks of neglect and CPS involvement, but not physical abuse, psychological abuse, or spanking. Among low-income families, higher neighborhood inequality was associated with lower likelihood of spanking. Among higher-income families, higher neighborhood inequality levels were associated with higher risks of physical abuse, yet lower risks of psychological abuse.

Conclusion

Our findings align with previous studies showing mixed results on the relationship between neighborhood inequality and health outcomes. Those results may suggest that the effect of low-income itself is more important than the neighborhood context. Further research is needed to identify the determinants of inequality at the neighborhood level and the underlying mechanisms of its association with child maltreatment risks.

中文翻译：

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如此接近却又如此不同：邻里不平等和虐待儿童

背景

广泛的研究记录了邻里环境因素在塑造虐待风险方面的重要性。关于社区内经济不平等的作用的证据有限，在过去十年中，这种情况在美国大幅增加。

客观的

本研究考察了邻里不平等与儿童虐待风险之间的关系，特别关注了邻里不平等与家庭收入之间的跨层次相互作用。

参与者和设置

在 1998-2000 年间对出生在美国大城市的 4,898 名儿童进行了抽样调查，并在 1、3、5 和 9 岁时进行了随访。

方法

分析了一组回归模型，以估计家庭收入、邻里不平等（作为基尼系数的三分位数）以及这些与虐待儿童风险的相互作用，如身体虐待、心理虐待、忽视、CPS 参与、和打屁股。

结果

低收入与忽视和参与 CPS 的风险较高有关，但与身体虐待、心理虐待或打屁股无关。在低收入家庭中，较高的邻里不平等与较低的打屁股可能性有关。在高收入家庭中，较高的邻里不平等程度与较高的身体虐待风险相关，但较低的心理虐待风险。

结论

我们的研究结果与先前的研究一致，这些研究在邻里不平等与健康结果之间的关系上显示出不同的结果。这些结果可能表明，低收入本身的影响比邻里环境更重要。需要进一步的研究来确定社区层面不平等的决定因素及其与虐待儿童风险相关的潜在机制。