Intervening in Suspected Child Maltreatment: Parents’ Responses to and Perceptions of Maltreatment in a Rural Midwestern County

Abstract

Risks for child maltreatment have been found to be elevated in rural (cf. urban) areas. While previous research indicates that neighborhood processes can protect against child maltreatment, how such processes may uniquely operate in rural settings remains unclear. The vast majority of research on informal social control processes has focused on urban areas with very few studies examining how such processes in rural areas may uniquely influence responses to child maltreatment. To address knowledge gaps in this area, the present qualitative study examined the perceptions of parents living in a rural Midwestern county. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 26 caregivers from Livingston County, Michigan, U.S. Regarding informal social control, participants were asked a series of questions regarding how they would intervene in an instance of suspected child maltreatment in their community. Thematic analysis revealed several strengths and barriers to perceiving and intervening in child maltreatment in rural settings, including close social ties, a culture of silence, maltreatment severity, and ecological challenges. These findings highlight potential reasons for which informal social control processes may differ in rural settings. Social workers may bolster child maltreatment prevention efforts in rural areas by acknowledging unique barriers and potential strengths to leverage in such communities. The current study adds to the body of work to understand rural child maltreatment, by exploring the responses to maltreatment within rural contexts; an area that has not yet been examined.