Parenting and proximity to social services: Lessons from Los Angeles County in the community context of child neglect

Abstract

Using a sample of 438 parents in Los Angeles County, CA, this study examines the role of proximity to social services in child neglect. In an extension of social disorganization theory, it seeks to understand the potential sources of support in neighborhoods for families. It uses ordinary least squares regression to examine driving distance from parents’ residences to four types of services (child care, domestic violence, mental health/substance abuse, and poverty). The results show an association between proximity to mental health and substance abuse services and parents’ self-reported neglectful behaviors. Additionally, higher levels of socioeconomic disadvantage (poverty, unemployment, and low education), having older children, respondents being male, and respondents being older parents are associated with higher levels of child neglect, while being white is associated with lower levels. Overall, the findings suggest a potentially protective role of geographic access to mental health and substance abuse services in child maltreatment. Additional research on the pathways through which proximity to services influences child neglect is needed.

Duration in Poverty-Related Programs and Number of Child Maltreatment Reports

“…The theoretical association between families’ duration in poverty-related programs and their number of maltreatment reports is strongly confirmed, extending prior research using cross-sectional measures. Moreover, our data and results triangulate well with previous findings for the family-level relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and child maltreatment based on very different data sources, including self-report (Coulton et al, 1999; Kim, 2004; Maguire-Jack & Klein, 2015; Merritt, 2009; Molnar et al, 2003), surveys on community sentinels and CPS agencies by the National Incidence Studies (Sedlak et al, 2010; Sedlak & Broadhurst, 1996), and official child maltreatment reports (Irwin, 2009; Putnam-Hornstein & Needell, 2011).…”

Understanding Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Arrest: The Role of Individual, Home, School, and Community Characteristics

“…Differences in these environments can influence contact with the juvenile and criminal justice systems both indirectly (e.g., by influencing behavior) and directly (e.g., through increased crime rates and associated police presence). With regard to behavior, social disorganization theory suggests that conditions of socioeconomic disadvantage and residential instability disrupt social bonds and limit collective activity to maintain social control, thereby increasing the likelihood of deviant behaviors such as violence and child maltreatment (Beyer et al 2013; Cullen and Agnew 2011; Maguire-Jack and Klein 2015; Sampson and Groves 1989). Studies point to the role of residential segregation in influencing structural (concentrated) disadvantage and social isolation, which lead to structural barriers and cultural adaptations that undermine social organization, thereby increasing rates of neighborhood violence (Krivo et al 2009; Sampson 2013).…”

Drug Use, the Drug Environment, and Child Physical Abuse and Neglect

“…Parents who report witnessing drug sales also reported higher levels of physical neglect. Although we hypothesized no relationship between witnessing drug sales and either forms of child neglect, higher levels of drug local drug sales in cities may reflect a general lack of resources for families within their local neighborhood (Freisthler, LaScala, Gruenewald, & Treno, 2005; Maguire-Jack & Klein, 2015; Saxe et al, 2001). This lack of resources could impede a parent’s ability to take their child to the doctor or make sure that the house is warm enough.…”