Background

Child welfare workers report that substance abuse is one reason for the steep increase in substantiated reports of child abuse and neglect in the last 30 years. It is estimated that 40% to 80% of all child maltreatment reports involve parents with substance abuse problems. Alcohol has been found to be the major substance abuse problem in 64% of cases where substance abuse was reported to be a major cause of child maltreatment.

In recent years, researchers and policy makers have begun to view substance abuse as something more than a personal problem of vulnerable individuals. Rather, the community environment can contribute to substance abuse. In the same way, the community environment can make child maltreatment more or less likely. The presence in a neighborhood of many outlets that sell alcohol is related to higher rates of child maltreatment. This can be the result of heavier drinking by parents. It can also be the result of other problems in the neighborhood environment caused by a high number of alcohol outlets, including crime, violence, and a perceived lack of social control and social support in the neighborhood.

 

The Current Study

The purpose of this study is to examine how changes in the number of alcohol outlets (bars and restaurants that serve alcohol and stores that sell alcohol) and the density of these outlets (how close they are to one another) are related to changes in the rates of referrals to Child Protective Services and in the number of children who are removed from their home due to abuse and/or neglect. The study examined changes during the six-year period 1998-2003 within 579 zip code areas across California. Over half of the children in California live in those zip code areas. Records were obtained of the number of alcohol outlets in each of the areas. Records were also obtained from Child Protective Services regarding the number of reports of child abuse or neglect, the number of those reports that were substantiated after investigation, and the number of these cases in which the children were subsequently placed in foster care.

 

Study Findings

Increases in the number of off-premises outlets (such as liquor stores and grocery or convenience stores that sell alcohol) were related to increases in the rate of child maltreatment. Increases in the number of bars were related to increases in the number of children removed from their home and placed in foster care. Because people often shop in nearby areas that aren’t necessarily within their own zip codes, the number of alcohol outlets in neighboring areas was included in the analysis.

The research indicated that a decrease of one off-premise outlet per year across all 579 zip codes would reduce referrals to Child Protective Services by over 1,000 cases and reduce the number of children entering foster care by 93 cases. A reduction of one bar across all the zip codes would result in 153 fewer children entering foster care.

Within any one neighborhood, these reductions might be small, but across the entire state system, they would represent a considerable savings in resources as well as preventing family disruption and long-term damage to children.

 

Conclusions

Communities can help to reduce maltreatment of children by regulating the number and density of alcohol outlets. The highest density of alcohol outlets tend to be located in high-poverty areas with large populations of minorities. A high density of alcohol outlets is also related to other problems such as violence and illegal drug activity.

 

The Take-Home Message

Community environment can have an effect on personal and social problems – such as alcohol abuse and child maltreatment. Communities can help prevent these problems by controlling the number and density of alcohol outlets in their neighborhoods.

 

Reference

Exploring the Spatial Dynamics of Alcohol Outlets and Child Protective Services Referrals, Substantiations, and Foster Care Entries

Bridget Freisthler, University of California, Los Angeles, Paul J. Gruenewald, Lillian G. Remer, Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation, Bridgette Lery, University of Chicago, Barbara Needell, University of California, Berkeley
Child Maltreatment, Vol. 12, No. 2, May 2007 114-124

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