Michelle Johnson-Motoyama

Racial and ethnic disparities: A population-based examination of risk factors for involvement with child protective services

OBJECTIVE Data from the United States indicate pronounced and persistent racial/ethnic differences in the rates at which children are referred and substantiated as victims of child abuse and neglect. In this study, we examined the extent to which aggregate racial differences are attributable to variations in the distribution of individual and family-level risk factors. METHODS This study was based on the full population of children born in California in 2002. Birth records were linked to child protective service (CPS) records to identify all children referred for maltreatment by age 5. Generalized linear models were used to compute crude and adjusted racial/ethnic differences in childrens risk of referral, substantiation, and entry to foster care. RESULTS As expected, stark differences between Black and White children emerged in the rates of contact with CPS. Black children were more than twice as likely as White children to be referred for maltreatment, substantiated as victims, and enter foster care before age 5. Yet, there were also significant differences across racial/ethnic groups in the distribution of socioeconomic and health factors strongly correlated with child maltreatment and CPS involvement. After adjusting for these differences, low socioeconomic Black children had a lower risk of referral, substantiation, and entry to foster care than their socioeconomically similar White counterparts. Among Latinos, before adjusting for other factors, children of U.S.-born mothers were significantly more likely than White children to experience system contact, while children of foreign-born mothers were less likely to be involved with CPS. After adjusting for socioeconomic and health indicators, the relative risk of referral, substantiation, and foster care entry was significantly lower for Latino children (regardless of maternal nativity) compared to White children. CONCLUSIONS Race and ethnicity is a marker for a complex interaction of economic, social, political, and environmental factors that influence the health of individuals and communities. This analysis indicates that adjusting for child and family-level risk factors is necessary to distinguish race-specific effects (which may reflect system, worker, or resource biases) from socioeconomic and health indicators associated with maltreatment risk. Identifying the independent effects of these factors is critical to developing effective strategies for reducing racial disparities.

Geographic variation in racial disparities in child maltreatment: The influence of county poverty and population density

There are documented disparities in the rates at which black children come into contact with the child welfare system in the United States compared to white children. A great deal of research has proliferated aimed at understanding whether systematic biases or differential rates of risk among different groups drive these disparities (Drake et al., 2011). In the current study, county rates of maltreatment disparity are compared across the United States and examined in relation to rates of poverty disparity as well as population density. Specifically, using hierarchical linear modeling with a spatially lagged dependent variable, the current study examined data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and found that poverty disparities were associated with rates of maltreatment disparities, and densely populated metropolitan counties tended to have the greatest levels of maltreatment disparity for both black and Hispanic children. A significant curvilinear relationship was also observed between these variables, such that in addition to the most densely populated counties, the most sparsely populated counties also tended to have higher rates of maltreatment disparity for black and Hispanic children.

Bias in child maltreatment self-reports using interactive voice response (IVR)

Few methods estimate the prevalence of child maltreatment in the general population due to concerns about socially desirable responding and mandated reporting laws. Innovative methods, such as interactive voice response (IVR), may obtain better estimates that address these concerns. This study examined the utility of interactive voice response (IVR) for child maltreatment behaviors by assessing differences between respondents who completed and did not complete a survey using IVR technology. A mixed-mode telephone survey was conducted in English and Spanish in 50 cities in California during 2009. Caregivers (n=3,023) self-reported abusive and neglectful parenting behaviors for a focal child under the age of 13 using computer-assisted telephone interviewing and IVR. We used hierarchical generalized linear models to compare survey completion by caregivers nested within cities for the full sample and age-specific ranges. For demographic characteristics, caregivers born in the United States were more likely to complete the survey when controlling for covariates. Parenting stress, provision of physical needs, and provision of supervisory needs were not associated with survey completion in the full multivariate model. For caregivers of children 0-4 years (n=838), those reporting they could often or always hear their child from another room had a higher likelihood of survey completion. The findings suggest IVR could prove to be useful for future surveys that aim to estimate abusive and/or neglectful parenting behaviors given the limited bias observed for demographic characteristics and problematic parenting behaviors. Further research should expand upon its utility to advance estimation rates.

The psychological well-being of grandparents who provide supplementary grandchild care: a systematic review

ABSTRACT This systematic review examines theoretical and empirical research on the psychological well-being of grandparents who provide supplementary care for their grandchildren. The review included 15 articles that met inclusion criteria. Seven of these studies examined the association of the provision of supplementary grandchild care to grandparents’ psychological well-being, and the other eight studies analyzed the relations between specific characteristics of grandparents providing supplementary childcare and their own psychological well-being. The results suggested that the relationship between the provision of supplementary grandchild care and psychological well-being varies according to grandparents’ socio-demographic characteristics (e.g. race and co-residence with adult children), caregiving situations (e.g. types of care and activities with grandchildren), and indicators of social capital (e.g. familial relationships and social supports). This paper highlights the limitations of the theoretical frameworks that have been used to explain the relationship between the provision of supplementary grandchild care and grandparents’ psychological well-being in the studies that were reviewed, the strengths and limitations of related empirical research, and the lack of attention to diverse ethnic groups in reviewed studies. Suggestions for theory and future research are discussed based on these findings.

Development, CAPTA Part C Referral and Services Among Young Children in the U.S. Child Welfare System Implications for Latino Children

Amendments made to the Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act in 2003 and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act in 2004 opened the door to a promising partnership between child welfare services and early intervention (EI) agencies by requiring a referral to EI services for all children under age 3 involved in a substantiated case of child abuse, neglect, or illegal drug exposure. However, little research has been conducted to assess the implications of these policies. Using data drawn from a nationally representative study conducted in 2008–2009, we observed less than a fifth of all children in substantiated cases to receive a referral to developmental services (18.2%) approximately 5 years after the passage of the amendments. Of children in contact with the U.S. child welfare system, Hispanic children of immigrants demonstrated the greatest developmental need yet were among the least likely to receive EI services by the end of the study period. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Factors Associated With Success in Doctoral Social Work Education

Although admission criteria such as GRE scores and undergraduate GPAs (UGPAs) have been shown to moderately predict success in graduate school for students in other academic disciplines and in MSW programs, no published research has examined factors associated with success in social work PhD programs. This article reports the findings of a pilot study in a Midwestern university that examined the relationship between common admissions variables and success in the doctoral program. Results indicate that GRE quantitative score, first-year doctoral GPA (DGPA), and age at admission were associated with successful completion of the doctoral program. Verbal GRE and UGPA were significantly correlated with first-year DGPA. Limitations and implications for admission and retention of students are discussed.

Understanding the Role of Context-Specific Drinking in Neglectful Parenting Behaviors

AIMS Child neglect is the most common form of child maltreatment, yet little is known about how drinking context may be related to particular subtypes of child neglect. This study examines the relationship between parental drinking in multiple contexts and the use of supervisory and physical neglectful. METHODS A sample of 2152 parents of children 12 years or younger in 50 cities in California was obtained using a computer-assisted telephone interview. Past-year prevalence of child neglect was measured using the Multidimensional Neglectful Behavior Scale. Information was collected on past month or past-year frequency of having at least one drink in five contexts, continued drinking measures (e.g. number of drinks after the first drink) and sociodemographics. Data were analyzed using multilevel random effects logit models. RESULTS Frequency of drinking in various contexts was related to different neglect subtypes. Specifically, frequency of drinking with friends was positively related leaving a child home alone when an adult should be present. Parents who drank more frequently with family were less likely to leave their child home alone in the past year yet more likely to unsafely monitor their child in the past year. Drinking at parties more often was related to being more likely to leave a child alone in a car sometime during the past year. CONCLUSIONS That no single drinking context is universally problematic for supervisory and physical neglect suggests that different social mechanisms may underlie the relationships observed between different drinking contexts and neglect subtypes.

Associations Between Proactive and Reactive Subtypes of Aggression and Lifetime Substance Use in a Sample of Predominantly Hispanic Adolescents

The current study evaluated the link between proactive (goal-oriented) and reactive (behavior in response to a perceived threat) aggression and lifetime alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana use in a sample of 152 predominantly Hispanic (94.7%) high school students. Furthermore, the impact of neighborhood violence and gender invariance on these associations were examined. Findings suggested unique associations between proactive, not reactive, aggression and use of all three substances. No significant interactions between the aggression subtypes and neighborhood violence were evident, and no gender differences emerged. Findings suggest targeting proactive aggression for the prevention of substance use for both males and females.

A study in contrasts: Supports and barriers to successful implementation of two evidence-based parenting interventions in child welfare

Although evidence-based interventions (EBIs) are spreading to child welfare, research on real-world dynamics of implementation within this setting is scarce. Using a six-factor implementation framework to examine implementation of two evidence-based parenting interventions, we sought to build greater understanding of key facilitators and barriers by comparing successful versus failed EBI implementation in a child welfare setting. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 15 frontline practitioners and state-level managers. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and data analysis used a modified analytic approach. Our results showed the successful EBI was viewed more positively on all six factors; however, implementation was multidimensional, multilevel, and mixed with accomplishments and challenges. An accumulation of strengths across implementation factors proved beneficial. Implementation frameworks may be advantageous in organizing and explaining the numerous factors that may influence successful versus failed implementation. While encountering obstacles is largely inevitable, understanding which factors have shaped the success or failure of EBI implementations in child welfare settings may optimize future implementations in this context.

Using Administrative Data to Monitor Racial/Ethnic Disparities and Disproportionality Within Child Welfare Agencies: Process and Preliminary Outcomes

ABSTRACT Child welfare administrative data are increasingly used to identify racial/ethnic disproportionality and disparities at various levels of aggregation. However, child welfare agencies typically face challenges in harnessing administrative data to examine racial/ethnic disproportionality and disparities at meaningful levels of analysis due to limited resources and/or tools for reporting. This article describes the process through which a multi-state workgroup designed and developed management reports to monitor racial/ethnic disparities and disproportionality using a web-based child welfare administrative data reporting system. The article provides an overview of the process, outcome, and challenges of the group’s work with the goal of offering a starting point for discussion to others who may be seeking to monitor racial/ethnic disparities and disproportionality, regardless of their reporting system.