Testing the Appropriateness of Social Disorganization Theory in the Study of Neighborhood Factors and Rural Child Maltreatment

The current study aimed to examine the extent to which neighborhood structural factors commonly found to be associated with child maltreatment in urban areas also apply to rural areas. Using three years of administrative child welfare data, we examined patterns of child maltreatment across metro and nonmetro census tracts in the State of Michigan. Extending from social disorganization theory, a principal components factor analysis was conducted to determine the extent to which neighborhood structural factors (neighborhood economic disadvantage, residential instability, and childcare burden) that have been tested in relation to child maltreatment in urban areas cluster together similarly in rural areas. Spatial analysis and negative binomial regression were used to examine: (1) the extent to which these three factors were related to child maltreatment substantiation rates in nonmetro census tracts; and (2) factors hypothesized to have unique impacts within nonmetro tracts, including seasonal housing and racial demographics of neighborhoods. Findings showed some similarities between metro and nonmetro areas, including associations of neighborhood poverty, single-parent households, and vacant housing units with increased levels of child maltreatment. Differences between metro and nonmetro areas were also identified, suggesting the need for additional research into the neighborhood correlates of rural child maltreatment.