PRELIMINARY STUDY OF SOME ECOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF CHILD ABUSE - THE IMPACT OF SOCIOECONOMIC STRESS ON MOTHERS

• NCJ Number: 51929
• Journal: Child Development Volume: 47 Issue: 1 Dated: (1976) Pages: 178-185
• Author(s): J GARBARINO
• Date Published: 1976
• Length: 8 pages
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago Press
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

ECOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT ARE EXPLORED, AND A MODEL FOCUSING ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH MOTHERS ARE GIVEN SUPPORT FOR THE PARENTING FUNCTION IS CONSIDERED.

Abstract

ON THE BASIS OF PRESUMABLY AVAILABLE AND VALID DATA, 58 COUNTIES IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK WERE CHOSEN AS UNITS OF ANALYSIS. THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA WERE ESTABLISHED FOR ECOLOGICAL INDEXES: (1) THEY MUST POSSESS A HIGH DEGREE OF RELIABILITY AND (2) THEY MUST BE AVAILABLE FOR OTHER SOCIOPOLITICAL UNITS. DIMENSIONS SELECTED FOR INCLUSION IN THE STUDY WERE TRANSIENCE, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, UTILIZATION OF EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES, RURALITY-URBANISM, AND THE SOCIOECONOMIC SITUATION OF MOTHERS. U.S. CENSUS DATA WERE EMPLOYED TO GENERATE INDEXES OF SOCIOECONOMIC AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS FOR THE 58 COUNTIES. THE DEGREE TO WHICH MOTHERS WERE SUBJECTED TO SOCIOECONOMIC STRESS WITHOUT ADEQUATE SUPPORT SYSTEMS ACCOUNTED FOR A SUBSTANTIAL PROPORTION OF THE VARIANCE IN RATES OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT ACROSS COUNTIES, WHILE ECONOMIC CONDITIONS MORE GENERALLY AFFECTING THE FAMILY ACCOUNTED FOR LESS VARIANCE. THE RESULTS DEMONSTRATED THAT THE ECOLOGICAL CONTEXT GENERATED BY ECONOMIC AND EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN THE ETIOLOGY OF CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT. IN TERMS OF PARENTING AND CHILD ABUSE, THE ECOLOGICAL MODEL SUGGESTS THAT ATTENTION BE FOCUSED ON THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE IMMEDIATE SETTING NURTURES THE PARENT-CHILD INTERACTION. THIS NURTURANCE IS, IN TURN, A FUNCTION OF THE IMPACT OF THE INSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM UPON THE IMMEDIATE SETTING, MOST NOTABLY UPON THE FAMILY AS A SOCIAL UNIT. A HYPOTHESIS FOR FURTHER INVESTIGATION IS SUGGESTED: THAT ECONOMIC STRESS AND INADEQUATE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES UNDERMINE THE FUNCTIONING OF PARENTS, PARTICULARLY MOTHERS, AND RESULT IN CHILD ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT. SUPPORTING TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DEP)