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Factors influencing child maltreatment among families leaving Temporary Assistance to Needy Families

Year: 2009
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Purpose: The transition from Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) can be a critical period for a family and one which can result in risk of child maltreatment for children.Risk of maltreatment can be influenced by individual and family factors, as well as environmental factors, such as employment, use of public assistance benefits, and neighborhood characteristics.Methodology: The study examines the experiences of families exiting TANF and factors that influence subsequent child maltreatment.Families in the study are female-headed households from Cuyahoga County, Ohio who exited TANF between January 1, 1999 and December 31, 2002 and had a child who was 10 years of age or younger at the time of exit.The study utilizes administrative data from county human services, county family services, birth records, employment data, and census data.Factors examined were individual and family characteristics, birth data for the youngest child at time of exit, past employment and cash assistance usage, reason for exit from cash assistance, employment and public assistance usage after exit from TANF, and neighborhood characteristics.Cox proportional hazard models were used to examine the occurrence and timing of investigations of child maltreatment and substantiated or indicated findings of child maltreatment following the families" initial exit from cash assistance.Findings: Of the total, 2131 (11.8%) individuals experienced an investigation of child maltreatment and 894 (5.0%) individuals experienced a substantiated or indicated finding of child maltreatment.In the multivariate models, as age of mother, age of the child, or education level of the mother increased, the hazard of child maltreatment decreased.Families were at an increased risk of child maltreatment as the number of individuals on the case file increased.Families that experienced an involuntary exit from TANF were also at increased risk of a child maltreatment investigation or a substantiated or indicated finding of maltreatment.Employment status following exit did not have an effect on maltreatment, but as earnings increased, the risk of alleged maltreatment and substantiated or indicated maltreatment decreased.Partial effects were detected for Food Stamp receipt after exit, community child care burden, and past work experience.Policy implications are discussed.
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2256359280
FWCI:
Cites: 127
Cited by: 1
Related to: 10