Differential effects of the Chicago Child-Parent Center program on initial and recurring neglect: Main effects and mediating paths

Neglect is the most prevalent form of child maltreatment, yet few interventions have been shown to prevent initial and chronic instances of neglect. Further, no known studies have identified the specific mediating mechanisms by which a program's services lead to reduced neglect.

This study uses data from the Chicago Longitudinal Study (CLS), which follows a cohort of 1,539 minority children who attended the Chicago Child-Parent Centers (CPCs) and other public school programs in 1985-86. The CPC program is a well-known early childhood intervention that provides comprehensive child and family support services to low-income families. Previous findings indicate that attendance in the CPC preschool program was associated with a significant reduction in child neglect (Mersky, Berger, Reynolds, & Gromoske, in press). In this investigation we extend research on the CPCs to determine if preschool participation was associated with a reduction in chronic neglect and the mechanisms (i.e. pathways) by which the programs achieves its impacts on neglect.

Analyses were performed on 1,411 participants in the CLS whose maltreatment records were verified from two administrative sources: petitions to the Cook County Juvenile Court and referrals to the Illinois Department of Child Services (DCFS). Chronic neglect was defined by the number of officially verified neglect reports for each child. Results from multivariate analyses indicated that CPC preschool participation was significantly associated (p<.01) with a reduction in the sum total of indicated neglect reports for each participant from age 8 through 17. Further analyses revealed, however, that CPC attendance was not associated with having two or more indicated neglect reports but was significantly associated (p<.01) with a reduced likelihood of having exactly one report. Thus, while preliminary analyses indicated that CPC participation was associated with reduced recurrence of neglect, this finding appears to have been an artifact of the negative association between program involvement and having an initial neglect report.

Additional mediation analyses were conducted using Structural Equation Modeling in LISREL to investigate the paths leading from program involvement to a reduction in neglect. Results indicate that multiple pathways contributed directly to explaining the CPC program's effects, including family (i.e. increased parent involvement) and school (i.e. reduced school moves) support mechanisms. The program's positive effects on cognitive and social-emotional functioning appear to contribute indirectly to the program's effects.

Results indicated that CPC services as delivered to children in the CLS sample were effective in preventing initial instances of indicated neglect, but that they did not impact chronicity. Findings suggest that the CPC program shows potential as a primary prevention model to reduce neglect by increasing parent involvement in school and by reducing school mobility. Yet, program services may require modification to achieve secondary prevention effects on recurring neglect.

Mersky, J. P., Berger, L. M., Reynolds, A. J., & Gromoske, A. N. (In Press). Child Maltreatment Etiology of child and adolescent maltreatment among a cohort of low-income, urban youth.