Neighborhood and Household Factors in the Etiology of Child Maltreatment

Two complementary research components--structured interviews with and ethnographic studies of parents--will address the two primary issues of this study. The factors being examined are (1) the ways in which neighborhood characteristics are related to parental behaviors that increase or decrease the risk of child maltreatment and (2) the ways in which parental perceptions of the neighborhood affect child maltreatment. Neighborhoods categorized as at high risk, medium risk, and low risk for child abuse and neglect reports are included in the study.