County-Level Disparities in Child Abuse and Neglect

County-Level Disparities in Child Abuse and Neglect

NIMHD-Funded Study Reveals Child Abuse and Neglect Are Associated With Socioeconomic Hardship and Drug-Related Offenses

Child abuse and neglect are nationwide concerns. However, these problems happen more in some areas than in others. A study published in Child Abuse & Neglect reveals that both socioeconomic hardship and drug-related offenses increased the risk of child maltreatment in Tennessee.

Although the study involved only one state and did not prove that these factors cause child abuse and neglect, it did show a pattern of increasing risk from 2008 to 2016 for counties with growing rates of crime, teen births, and births to unmarried women. Counties with these risk factors may benefit from efforts to prevent child maltreatment.