Maternal Childhood Polyvictimization and Neglected Offspring: Evidence among Salar Muslim Women

Background:

Child neglect is prevalent in western rural China, yet there is limited research among ethnic minority communities. The Salar, a Turkic-Muslim ethnic minority predominantly residing in western China, face unique challenges in this regard. Influenced by their ethnicity, Islam, and Chinese Confucianism, Salar women are particularly vulnerable to various forms of childhood and family violence victimization. These victimizations further compound the difficulties they face in providing adequate care for their children.

Purpose:

In light of the 3-D polyvictimization theory, this study aims to test a hypothesis regarding the relationship between childhood polyvictimization experienced by Salar mothers and the neglect of their children. The study will examine five hypotheses to explore this relationship.

Method:

A probability proportional to size (PPS) sampling approach was used to collect a random representative multi-stage cluster sample of 201 married Salar women from five villages in Xunhua Salar Autonomous County, China, in 2022. Random effects Poisson regression models were used to test the five hypotheses.

Results:

The participants reported a 65.6% rate of child neglect. Additionally, all the mothers included in the study had a history of childhood polyvictimization. Specifically, 56.2% of women reported experiencing at least one childhood victimization, while 12.9% reported two victimizations, and 6.5% reported three or more victimizations. The Poisson regression models demonstrated that the invasive and exploitative of the childhood polyvictimization are associated with child neglect. Moreover, a two-way interaction between the invasiveness and exploitativeness, as well as the exploitativeness and severity of the childhood polyvictimization, showed a strong positive association with child neglect. Lastly, a three-way interaction involving invasiveness, exploitativeness, and severity of the childhood polyvictimization was also strongly positively associated with child neglect.

Conclusions and Implications:

This research indicates that a history of maternal childhood polyvictimization can increase the risk of child neglect, especially when the experiences of polyvictimization involved high levels of invasiveness and exploitativeness. It emphasizes the importance of considering the nuanced nature of polyvictimization in understanding its relationship with child neglect. The findings represent a valuable initial step towards researching and addressing the protection needs of women and children from Muslim ethnic minorities in China.

Keywords: Salar Muslim women, child neglect, 3-D theory of polyvictimization; polyvictimization, child maltreatment.