TY - JOUR
T1 - Do county mental health, physical health, and care provider availability predict child maltreatment report rates?
AU - Kim, Hyunil
AU - Chiang, Chien Jen
AU - Song, Eun Jee
AU - Windsor, Liliane
N1 - This work was funded by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), K01CE003229. The analyses presented in this publication were based on data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System Child Files. These data were provided by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University, and have been used with permission. The data were originally collected under the auspices of the Children's Bureau (CB). Funding was provided by the CB. The CDC, the collector of the original data, the funder (CB), NDACAN, Cornell University, and the agents or employees of these institutions bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretation presented here. The information and opinions expressed reflect solely the opinions of the authors.
This work was funded by a grant from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , K01CE003229 . The analyses presented in this publication were based on data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System Child Files. These data were provided by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect at Cornell University, and have been used with permission. The data were originally collected under the auspices of the Children's Bureau (CB). Funding was provided by the CB. The CDC, the collector of the original data, the funder (CB), NDACAN, Cornell University, and the agents or employees of these institutions bear no responsibility for the analyses or interpretation presented here. The information and opinions expressed reflect solely the opinions of the authors.
PY - 2022/12
Y1 - 2022/12
N2 - Background: Research on community-level relationships between mental/physical health and child maltreatment is sparse. Objective: We examined how rates of mental distress, physical distress, mental health professionals, and primary care physicians were related to child maltreatment report rates at the county level. Participants and setting: U.S. counties from 2014 to 2017. Methods: Within-between random effects models estimated both within-effects (i.e., longitudinal changes) and between-effects (i.e., inter-county differences) of mental distress rates, physical distress rates, mental health professional rates, and primary care physician rates and their associations with overall and age-specific maltreatment report rates, while adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Longitudinal increases of mental distress rates marginally significantly (p < .10) increased overall maltreatment report rates (β = 0.50) and significantly (p < .05) increased age 0–5 maltreatment report rates (β = 0.84). Conversely, longitudinal increases of mental health professional rates significantly decreased overall (β = −0.38), age 0–5 (β = −0.59), and age 6–11 (β = −0.31) maltreatment report rates and marginally significantly decreased age 12–17 maltreatment report rates (β = −0.13). Between-effects of metal distress rates and mental health professional rates were mostly not significant. Neither within-effects nor between-effects of physical distress rates and primary care physician rates were significant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that community mental distress is a risk factor for child maltreatment reports and that community availability of mental health professionals is a protective factor. Community-based strategies to address mental distress and human resource approaches to supply sufficient mental health professionals in communities may help reduce maltreatment report rates in communities. Further research is required to confirm our findings and to better understand underlying mechanisms.
AB - Background: Research on community-level relationships between mental/physical health and child maltreatment is sparse. Objective: We examined how rates of mental distress, physical distress, mental health professionals, and primary care physicians were related to child maltreatment report rates at the county level. Participants and setting: U.S. counties from 2014 to 2017. Methods: Within-between random effects models estimated both within-effects (i.e., longitudinal changes) and between-effects (i.e., inter-county differences) of mental distress rates, physical distress rates, mental health professional rates, and primary care physician rates and their associations with overall and age-specific maltreatment report rates, while adjusting for potential confounders. Results: Longitudinal increases of mental distress rates marginally significantly (p < .10) increased overall maltreatment report rates (β = 0.50) and significantly (p < .05) increased age 0–5 maltreatment report rates (β = 0.84). Conversely, longitudinal increases of mental health professional rates significantly decreased overall (β = −0.38), age 0–5 (β = −0.59), and age 6–11 (β = −0.31) maltreatment report rates and marginally significantly decreased age 12–17 maltreatment report rates (β = −0.13). Between-effects of metal distress rates and mental health professional rates were mostly not significant. Neither within-effects nor between-effects of physical distress rates and primary care physician rates were significant. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that community mental distress is a risk factor for child maltreatment reports and that community availability of mental health professionals is a protective factor. Community-based strategies to address mental distress and human resource approaches to supply sufficient mental health professionals in communities may help reduce maltreatment report rates in communities. Further research is required to confirm our findings and to better understand underlying mechanisms.
KW - Child abuse
KW - Child maltreatment
KW - Mental health
KW - Physical health
KW - Provider availability
KW - Within-between random effects
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U2 - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105880
DO - 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105880
M3 - Article
C2 - 36113376
AN - SCOPUS:85138066915
SN - 0145-2134
VL - 134
JO - Child Abuse and Neglect
JF - Child Abuse and Neglect
M1 - 105880
ER -