Exploring the Effects of Neighborhood Economic Clustering on Child Maltreatment Rates

Background and Purpose:Growing economic segregation within the United States has contributed to the geographic concentration of poor and affluent household. These spatial economic patterns may have implications for neighborhood child maltreatment rates. Currently, we know that neighborhood poverty is positively associated with neighborhood child maltreatment rates. Limited evidence suggests concentration of poverty in adjacent areas may also matter for maltreatment in local areas. This study aimed to expand our current understanding of these spatial processes by exploring the following: (1) Is concentration of poverty within adjacent neighborhood areas associated with high neighborhood child maltreatment rates? and (2) Is clustering of concentrated poverty (e.g., a poor neighborhood surrounded by poor neighborhoods) associated with higher maltreatment rates than isolation of concentrated poverty (e.g., a poor neighborhood surrounded by mixed income or affluent neighborhoods)? We hypothesized that neighborhood child maltreatment rates would be positively associated with adjacent tract concentrated poverty and that clustering of concentrated poverty would have the largest effect for neighborhood maltreatment rates. 

Methods: The study used an ecological, cross-sectional design to explore the relationship between neighborhood economic inequality, adjacent neighborhood economic inequality, and child maltreatment rates per 1,000 children in the City of Los Angeles during 2006. All census tracts that were within or adjacent to LA City boundaries were used to identify the current sample (n = 997). 2006 child protective service data and 2006 Geolytics census estimates were aggregated to 2000 census tracts. Child maltreatment per 1,000 children was measured by tract level referral, substantiation, and foster care entry rates. Economic inequality was measured by Income Concentrated at the Extremes (ICE) index, which is a continuous scale ranging from -1 (concentrated poverty) to 1 (concentrated affluence). Adjacent economic conditions were measured by a spatial lag variable of adjacent tract ICE. All variables were weighted by child population to address variability across spatial units. Spatial error regression models were used to address spatial autocorrelation within the models.

Results:Concentrated poverty was associated with high levels of child maltreatment rates.  Similarly, concentrated poverty in adjacent tracts was associated with high rates of all child maltreatment measures. Child maltreatment rates were highest when tracts characterized by concentrated poverty where surrounded by tracts also characterized by concentrated poverty. Economic inequality in adjacent tracts had less of an impact on child maltreatment rates when a tract was characterized by concentrated affluence.

Conclusions and Implications: Clustering of concentrated poverty was associated with high neighborhood child maltreatment rates. The association of adjacent economic conditions with child maltreatment rates was larger for tracts characterized by concentrated poverty than those characterized by concentrated affluence. Clustering of concentrated poverty may exacerbate neighborhood conditions that can increase risks for maltreatment, such as isolating families from resources and increasing exposure to social disorganization and associated community stressors. Prevention efforts should consider spatial dimensions of poverty when targeting geographic areas.