Income Instability, Child Maltreatment, and Parenting Under Financial Stress: Economic Experiences of Low-Income Families in Wisconsin

• Main Author: Monahan, Emma Rose Kahle
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01.01.2019
• Subjects: Social work
• ISBN: 9781392157930; 1392157935

The link between income and child maltreatment is well-documented, and the nuances and mechanisms of this relationship are often a focus of the literature. However, one aspect of socioeconomic status that has not been well-examined in association with child maltreatment is income instability. Income instability has increased in recent decades, and it is more common amongst low-income families. Thus, income instability is a distinct component of economic well-being worth investigating in relation to child maltreatment. Moreover, while we have qualitative understanding of parents in poverty and parents in the child welfare system, we know less about the parenting experiences of families deflected from Child Protective Services (CPS), who are often struggling financially and at-risk for future maltreatment. The current dissertation begins to address these gaps in the literature by using Wisconsin administrative data to estimate the association of frequent, within-year income instability and child maltreatment, unique from income level. Next, the association between income instability and child maltreatment is re-estimated in a survey sample to explore potential socioemotional and behavioral mechanisms of the association. Finally, qualitative methods are used to investigate the parenting and economic experiences of low-income families deflected from the child welfare system in Wisconsin, offering an in-depth understanding of their financial and caregiving experiences. Findings indicate income instability increases risk for child maltreatment, beyond the influence of income level. When income is parsed into earnings and welfare benefit components, these distinct income sources demonstrate differential impacts on child maltreatment, emphasizing the importance of separating these income sources in future work. Substance abuse is found to partially mediate the association between income instability and child maltreatment. Lastly, qualitative results describe the perceived barriers and triumphs of families deflected from child welfare. Taken together, this dissertation offers a nuanced understanding of the association between income and child maltreatment for low-income families in Wisconsin. Findings have implications for continuing to study income instability separate from income level and to offer policies and services that buffer the strengths these families demonstrate while stabilizing economic resources.