Panel Paper:
Preventing Neglect: Protective Factors for Families in Poverty
Friday, November 8, 2019
Plaza Building: Concourse Level, Plaza Court 8 (Sheraton Denver Downtown)
*Names in bold indicate Presenter
To inform the prevention of neglect, this study investigates the protective factors for physical neglect and supervisory neglect. Both theory and previous research has provided guidance on protective factors against maltreatment generally, but there is a lack of information on protective factors specifically related to decreasing the likelihood of neglect. Poverty can also vary across time and in level of severity. Therefore, it is likely that the associations between protective factors and neglectful parenting vary based on exposure to poverty. The current study makes two important contributions to the fields of poverty and child welfare. First, it investigates how protective factors across early childhood relate to different dimensions of neglect, specifically neglectful parenting behaviors (physical neglect and supervisory neglect) and CPS involvement. Second, it estimates how different levels of poverty moderate the associations between protective factors and neglectful parenting across early childhood.
Data and Sample
The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (Fragile Families) is a national and longitudinal sample of almost 5,000 children born between 1998 and 2000 in 20 large U.S. cities (i.e., over 200,000 residents). The sample was limited to families that participated in the 5-year in-home assessments and participants who did not report CPS involvement prior to year 1 (n= 2,980).
Results
Social support at year 1 was significantly related to less physical neglect at year 3. Compared to unemployed mothers, both part-time and full-time employment at year 1 was associated with less physical neglect at year 3. For supervisory neglect at year 3, no protective factors were statistically significant.
Next, year 3 protective factors predicted year 5 physical and supervisory neglect. Similar to year 1, social support, part-time employment, and full-time employment at year 3 were all associated with less physical neglect at year 5. Surprisingly, father involvement at year 3 was related to more physical neglect. For supervisory neglect at year 5, participation in a parenting class at year 3 was related to more supervisory neglect whereas social support was related to less supervisory neglect.
Further analyses demonstrated that the associations between protective factors and neglectful parenting also varied by poverty ratio.
Data and Sample
The Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study (Fragile Families) is a national and longitudinal sample of almost 5,000 children born between 1998 and 2000 in 20 large U.S. cities (i.e., over 200,000 residents). The sample was limited to families that participated in the 5-year in-home assessments and participants who did not report CPS involvement prior to year 1 (n= 2,980).
Results
Social support at year 1 was significantly related to less physical neglect at year 3. Compared to unemployed mothers, both part-time and full-time employment at year 1 was associated with less physical neglect at year 3. For supervisory neglect at year 3, no protective factors were statistically significant.
Next, year 3 protective factors predicted year 5 physical and supervisory neglect. Similar to year 1, social support, part-time employment, and full-time employment at year 3 were all associated with less physical neglect at year 5. Surprisingly, father involvement at year 3 was related to more physical neglect. For supervisory neglect at year 5, participation in a parenting class at year 3 was related to more supervisory neglect whereas social support was related to less supervisory neglect.
Further analyses demonstrated that the associations between protective factors and neglectful parenting also varied by poverty ratio.
