Assessing the neighborhood context of child maltreatment

Abstract

The role of the environment in the etiology of child maltreatment has long been debated. Child protection activities have typically focused on the character of alleged perpetrators to the virtual exclusion of the broad social context in which abuse and neglect occurs. Evidence of the stressful effects of environmental circumstance on adults in disadvantaged families is substantial. Overwhelming social forces that act on parents with few resources or skills with which to cope and adapt can produce violent tendencies that lead to the mistreatment of their children. There is established theory to guide the design and implementation of programs sensitive to the potentially strong environmental influence of the behavior of abusive and neglectful family members.