An Introduction to:

The Economic Status, Public Policy, and Child Neglect Study

(aka, the In-Home Longitudinal Study of Pre-School Aged Children)

Lonnie BergerCenter for Health and Wellbeing

Princeton University

Prepared for the Fragile Families workshopColumbia University

July 2004

Overview of the study:

• Consists of on an in-home module added to the Fragile Families study at 36 and 60 months

• Observational and self-report data are collected in participants’ homes over approximately one and a half hours

• Originally designed to collect information on “child neglect” and “poor” parenting behaviors and their effects on children, but the data can be used to study parenting and child wellbeing across a wide range of domains and levels

Types of data collected:

• Health and disability, health behaviors, and accidents• Child behavioral and cognitive development• Family routines• Parenting, parent-child interactions, and the quality of the caregiving

environment• Nutrition, food sufficiency, and food expenditures• Physical and social characteristics of the home, building, and

neighborhood • Parental physical and mental health and cognitive ability

(anthropometrics, stress, mastery, PPVT)• Discipline strategies• Involvement with child protective services (60-months)

Standardized measures:

• Conflict Tactics Scale

• Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment

• USDA Food Security Supplement

• PSID Food Expenditures Module

• Child Behavior Checklist

• Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test

Research questions:

• How do factors such as economic status, family structure, and other parental/family characteristics affect parenting and the environments in which children live?

• What are the determinants of “poor” parenting/child deprivation?

• How do parental behaviors and the types of care children receive affect their developmental outcomes?

• How do maternal employment and work patterns affect parenting and child outcomes?

• What role do (resident and non-resident) fathers and mother’s partners play in determining children’s care?

• How do public policies that affect family resources impact parenting, children’s care, and child outcomes?

Parenting measures (1):

We have created 19 parenting measures. Many of these are available in multiple coding schemes.

Measures based on the CTS: Lack of non-violent discipline Psychological aggression Physical assault Neglectful behavior

Measures based on the HOME: Harshness Lack of warmth Lack of maternal verbal/social skills Lack of materials for learning/cognitive stimulation

Parenting measures (2):

Physical measures: Problems with the home interior Home is unsafe for children Food insecurity Problems with the child’s clothing/hygiene

Medical measures: Any accident requiring medical care last year No medical checkup last year Problem’s with child’s oral health care

Exposure measures: Exposure to domestic violence Exposure to cigarette smoke Lack of seatbelt use

lnmrypov

cts1C90 cts2C90 cts3C90 cts4C90

-2 -1 0 1 2

0

.1

.2

.3

CTS measures and economic status

CTS1 = Lack of nonviolent discipline

CTS2 = Psychological aggression

CTS3 = Physical assault

CTS4 = Neglectful behaviors

HOME measures and economic status

nonpun = Harshness

emoresp = Lack of warmth

verbsoc = Lack of maternal verbal/social skills

langstim = Lack of materials for learning/cognitive stimulation

lnmrypov

nonpunC90 emorespC90 verbsocC95 langstimC90

-2 -1 0 1 2

0

.1

.2

.3

Physical measures and economic status

homeint = Problems with the home interior

unsafe = Home is unsafe for children

fs = Food insecurity

appear = Problems with the child’s hygiene/appearance

lnmrypov

homeintC90 unsafe fs1C90 appearC90

-2 -1 0 1 2

0

.1

.2

.3

Medical measures and economic status

anyacc = Any accident requiring medical care last year

nocheckup = No regular medical checkup last year

oralprob = Problems with child’s oral health care

lnmrypov

anyacc nocheckup oralprob

-2 -1 0 1 2

0

.1

.2

Exposure measures and economic status

m3dvexpany = Exposure to domestic violence

smoke = Exposure to cigarette smoke

noseatbelt = Lack of seatbelt use

lnmrypov

m3dvexpany smokeC90 noseatbelt

-2 -1 0 1 2

0

.1

.2

What are we finding so far?

• Lower income status is associated with poor outcomes on several of the HOME, physical and exposure measures, but less so with the CTS and medical measures.

• Poor outcomes on the most resource oriented measures (e.g., materials for learning, child appearance, food insecurity) are most closely linked to poverty.

• We are currently investigating the extent to which family characteristics affect child deprivation only through their effects on income. Thus far, we have rejected this hypothesis for 8 of the 19 outcomes (lack of nonviolent discipline, all 4 physical measures, accidents, and exposure to cigarette smoke).