Predictors of Basic Needs and Supervisory Neglect: Evidence from the Illinois Families Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Although child neglect makes up approximately 80% of officially reported maltreatment, neglect has not received adequate attention in the research literature compared to physical child abuse. The literature is growing, but relatively little is known about the predictors of the subtypes of neglect. The preceding factors that lead to a failure to provide adequate food for a child may differ significantly from the factors that drive a parent to fail to provide adequate supervision for a child.  Understanding these risk factors and how they relate to specific types of neglect is key for informing efforts to support parents and reduce neglect.  The current study seeks to estimate the predictors of two distinct forms of neglect: basic needs and supervisory and add to the relatively limited research on predictors of types of child neglect. 

METHODS

The current study used data from the Illinois Families Study, a longitudinal panel study of TANF recipients in Illinois. This study utilized four-wave in-person survey data and official records on child protective service (CPS) from Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. The final sample was composed 814 mothers with 3,033 mother-wave observations.   Investigated CPS neglect reports in which mothers were alleged perpetrators were used to measure child neglect outcomes.  Allegations for inadequate food, shelter, and clothing were categorized as basic needs neglect.  Allegations for inadequate supervision were categorized as supervisory neglect.  All risk factor variables were measured using survey questions from each wave.

Because of the debate regarding whether poverty causes neglect or whether certain parental characteristics cause both neglect and poverty, we control the effects of mother's unmeasured characteristics which might affect poverty and neglect by using mother-specific fixed effects models.  The advantage of using a fixed effects model is that it controls for unobserved heterogeneity across the sample. Utilizing multiple observations of the same mother, we used fixed effects logistic regression to estimate the predictors of the two distinct forms of neglect.

RESULTS

After controlling for unobserved heterogeneity of the sample, welfare receipt increased the odds of being investigated for basic needs neglect.  On the other hand, worsening health conditions of mothers over time increased the odds of being investigated for supervisory neglect by four times. A change in the mother's health condition to poor over time increased the odds of being investigated for supervisory neglect by four times.   Also, additional child care concerns was associated with a 18% increase of the odds of being investigated for supervisory neglect.  Finally, a mother's neighborhood change from a safe neighborhood to an unsafe neighborhood resulted in a 142% increase in the odds for supervisory neglect.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that policies and practices that enhance economic stability over a longer period would likely decrease basic needs neglect.   Regarding the efforts to reduce supervisory neglect, policies and practices that aim at supportive families in terms of providing flexible childcare options for working mothers, improving socioeconomic status, and promoting health and wellness would be effective.