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Neighborhood Effects on Physical Child Abuse, and Outcomes of Mental Illness and Delinquency: An HLM Analysis

Santos, Kristin L
http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1491265748642613

Abstract Details

2017, Doctor of Philosophy, University of Akron, Sociology.
Family violence is most commonly studied using either a descriptive approach, lacking theory and instead focusing on general rates and trends, or using psychology-based approaches, examining abuse and violence at the individual level. This study expands on previous work in family violence by attempting to examine physical child abuse at a neighborhood level using social disorganization theory. Additionally, outcomes of both mental illness and juvenile delinquency are examined. Mental illness is divided into two categories: internalizing and externalizing. Delinquency is divided into two categories: non-violent offending and violent offending. Using a sample of more than 2,000 children from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN) data, a series of hierarchal linear models were conducted. The first models were used to determine the effect of neighborhoods on physical child abuse. The next set of models were used to determine the effect of neighborhoods on mental illness measures, while examining the effect of physical child abuse within the models. The final set were used to determine the effect of neighborhoods on delinquency measures, while continuing to examine the effect of physical child abuse within the models. Physical child abuse significantly effects both internalizing and externalizing mental illness outcomes. Physical child abuse also significantly effects both non-violent and violent delinquency outcomes. This study therefore provides further support for the links between family violence and mental illness, and for the links between family violence and juvenile delinquency. Overall, the effect of neighborhood measures, representing social disorganization theory, in each of these models typically lacked statistical significance. Thus, support for the use of social disorganization theory in predicting physical child abuse, mental illness, and delinquency, as conceptualized in this study, was lacking. These results therefore suggest an alternate theory of explanation for physical child abuse, mental illness, and delinquency is more appropriate than a social disorganization theory explanation.
Stacey Nofziger (Committee Chair)
Valerie Callanan (Committee Member)
Kristen Marcussen (Committee Member)
Richard Adams (Committee Member)
Dawn Johnson (Committee Member)
171 p.
Criminology; Sociology
Social Disorganization Theory; Physical Child Abuse; Delinquency; Mental Illness

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Santos, K. L. (2017). Neighborhood Effects on Physical Child Abuse, and Outcomes of Mental Illness and Delinquency: An HLM Analysis [Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1491265748642613

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Santos, Kristin. Neighborhood Effects on Physical Child Abuse, and Outcomes of Mental Illness and Delinquency: An HLM Analysis. 2017. University of Akron, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1491265748642613.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Santos, Kristin. "Neighborhood Effects on Physical Child Abuse, and Outcomes of Mental Illness and Delinquency: An HLM Analysis." Doctoral dissertation, University of Akron, 2017. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=akron1491265748642613

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)

akron1491265748642613
688
© 2017, all rights reserved.
This open access ETD is published by University of Akron and OhioLINK.
Release 3.2.12