Unstable income within families increases risks of child abuse

Children in families experiencing income instability face a much higher risk of abuse, a recent study found.

Researchers at Cornell University analyzed the statistics of approximately 3,142 American counties from 2005 to 2009 and found that income instability increased the risk of child maltreatment.

The study is the first to demonstrate that an increase in income inequality can be directly associated with an increase in childhood maltreatment. As a result, more equal societies, states and communities are less likely to experience health and social problems, the researchers argue.

"Our study extends the list of unfavorable child outcomes associated with income inequality to include child abuse and neglect. Certainly, poor countries with general, overall poverty have significant problems with child abuse," said John Eckenrode, professor of human development and the director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research.

Eckenrode said he and his team of researchers were more interested in geographic areas with wide variations in income, specifically mentioning Brooklyn, New York, where they believe income inequality is the most pronounced.

"That's where kids are really hurting," he lamented.

"Where inequalities are most extreme, communities may become more polarized, with the affluent group influencing where public aid money goes, or what programs are made available in the community. Where the state or federal government is a key provider of services, such as day care and education, then you may have situations where poorer children mingle with middle-class kids and this helps create a better understanding between the two classes," said Dr. Ruth Gilbert, a clinical epidemiologist at University of London in the United Kingdom.