Abstract
In this study, we examined relationships among poverty, neighborhood instability, and the probability of a non-helping professional reporting child maltreatment. Two research questions were examined: (a) Is poverty related to whether an individual is willing to report child treatment? and (b) Is neighborhood instability related to an individual’s willingness to report child maltreatment? The hypothesis for this study was that poverty and neighborhood instability decrease the probability that a non-helping professional would report an incident of child maltreatment. The study design was an exploratory, cross-sectional, quantitative study. Data were obtained through CALSPEAKS, an online survey (n = 969). The participants were randomly selected from a panel of 2,000 individuals maintained by CALSPEAKS. Bivariate analyses of the data showed that income was negatively correlated with reporting maltreatment; individuals with low incomes were more likely to report child maltreatment. In addition, individuals living in unstable neighborhoods were also more likely to report child maltreatment. However, in multivariate analyses, only gender, race, and political affiliation were associated with maltreatment reporting. Males were .65 times less likely to report child maltreatment (CI = .455, .950), other non-Hispanics were .29 times less likely to report child maltreatment (CI = .093, .927), and Independents were 1.52 times more likely to report child maltreatment (CI = 1.009, 2.297). The study hypothesis was not supported, suggesting that other factors may better predict child maltreatment reporting than socioeconomic status and neighborhood instability. It is important to understand reporting behaviors of the participants, as participants may have given the answers they thought the surveyors were seeking or that were socially acceptable. Agencies should have resources in place to support these individuals and their communities. Future studies should focus on exploring other reasons for a lack of reporting child maltreatment.