Native American Families and Child Neglect

Abstract

This paper presents findings from an NCCAN-funded study of family functioning in neglecting families and in a comparison group of low-income families with no prior referrals for child neglect. It examines a sub-sample of a larger study of 77 Native American families from two states: Iowa and Oregon. Data were gathered through structured interviews with families and self-report measures completed by the primary caregiver and the children. Two—way analysis of variance was used to test differences between the neglect and comparison groups, controlling for per capita income and tribe. This study found that the family's current situation was more important than the caregiver's history in differentiating neglecting from comparison families. Multiple problems, substance abuse, and a history of criminal charges were strongly related to neglect. The number of fathers in the family was also related to the risk of neglect and regular contact with a father was the only type of social support that reduced the likelihood of neglect. Since this study relied on non-probability sampling, the findings are not generalizable to other populations. However, the results confirm previous research and suggest hypotheses for further testing.