The Impact of Housing Instability on Child Maltreatment: A Causal Investigation

Abstract

More than a half million children are confirmed as victims of maltreatment by the child welfare system each year. Children from unstably housed families are over-represented in child mal-treatment reports, and a growing body of evidence links housing problems to maltreatment and Child Protective Services (CPS); investigation. The present study applies two propensity score analysis approaches-greedy matching and propensity score weighting-to data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study to move toward a causal explanation of child mal-treatment behaviors among mothers in low-income households. Utilizing two separate methods to correct for overt selection bias, the present study finds that housing instability leads to a small increase in maltreatment behaviors, yet this small positive net impact on child maltreatment does not fully explain the over-representation of unstably housed families in the child welfare system. Families experiencing housing problems likely have a range of needs that require earlier, targeted intervention to mitigate consequences of poverty, domestic violence, and maternal depression. Child welfare services should invest resources in housing assistance programs in-house as well as through partnerships with local public housing authorities to stabilize families, reduce housing-related strain on caregivers, and promote family preservation.

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