A scoping review of economic supports for working parents: The relationship of TANF, child care subsidy, SNAP, and EITC to child maltreatment

Abstract

Poverty is associated with greater risk for child maltreatment. Understanding the impact of anti-poverty strategies in the United States has been the subject of many research studies, but to date there has been no comprehensive review of research on the relationship of economic supports for working parents to child maltreatment. Following PRISMA standards, we examine the existing literature on four key economic support programs in the United States and their relation to child maltreatment: Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), child care subsidies, and Earned Income Tax Credit. We review studies published between 1996 and 2020 through searches of Web of Science, Academic Search Complete, and JSTOR. We used Google Scholar to conduct backward and forward searches of citations. We find evidence that these four programs may provide some preventive benefits against child maltreatment, although the limited evidence on SNAP is unclear. The overall take-up of benefits ranges considerably across the four programs, hindering their potential beneficial impacts. Investments in economic supports for parents may significantly reduce child maltreatment.