Exposure to neighborhood violence, self-efficacy, and child maltreatment

Background

Child maltreatment is a significant public health concern in the United States, with long-lasting consequences for children’s development. Exposure to community violence is a known risk factor for child maltreatment, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unclear. Self-efficacy, a construct reflecting an individual’s perceived ability to influence their environment, may play a critical mediating role in this pathway.

Objective

This study aimed to investigate whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between exposure to community violence and child maltreatment, including physical assault, psychological aggression, and neglect.

Participants and setting

Data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal study of 4898 children born in 20 major cities in the United States. The analysis focused on the third wave of data when children were age 3.

Methods

Structural equation modeling was employed to assess the direct and indirect effects of exposure to community violence on three forms of child maltreatment through the mediating variable of self-efficacy.

Results

Exposure to community violence had a direct negative impact on maternal self-efficacy. In turn, higher self-efficacy was protective against all three forms of child maltreatment. Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between exposure to community violence and child maltreatment, highlighting a pathway through which exposure to violence affects parenting behaviors.

Conclusions

Findings underscore the importance of self-efficacy as a protective pathway in mitigating the effects of community violence on child maltreatment. Interventions aimed at enhancing parental self-efficacy and reducing community violence may have significant implications for preventing child maltreatment.