Aggregate-level studies of the effect of economic stress on child maltreatment

If the aggregate level association between economic stress and crime is ambiguous, the association between economic stress and official reports of child maltreatment is far less so. Aggregate-level studies almost universally show a strong positive association between measures of economic stress and reported rates of child maltreatment (Garbarino and Sherman 1980; Spearly and Lauderdale 1983; US Department of Health and Human Services 1988; Young and Gately 1988; Coulton and Pandey 1992; Garbarino and Kostelny 1992; Durkin et al. 1994; Coulton et al. 1995; Krishnan and Morrison 1995; Kotch et al. 1995; Chaffin, Kelleher and Hollenberg 1996). Although Australian research examining the relationship between economic stress and child maltreatment is far more limited than overseas research, cross-sectional analyses of the relationship between socioeconomic status and official reports of child maltreatment in Australia show exactly the same pattern (Young, Baker and Monnone 1989).

Most studies of the effect of economic stress on child maltreatment do not separately examine its effects on neglect and abuse, let alone on the various subcategories of these problems, such as emotional versus physical neglect or physical versus sexual abuse (Ney, Fung and Wickett 1994). The strength of the aggregate-level association between economic stress and child maltreatment (broadly defined) suggests that economic stress probably increases the risk of both child neglect and child abuse. This conclusion is further supported by the few extant studies which have separately examined the risk factors for child neglect and child abuse.