Defense Date

3-28-2006

Graduation Date

Spring 2006

Availability

Immediate Access

Submission Type

thesis

Degree Name

MA

Department

Graduate Center for Social and Public Policy

School

McAnulty College and Graduate School of Liberal Arts

Committee Chair

Norman Conti

Committee Member

Michael Irwin

Keywords

Allegheny County, child abuse, reporting rates

Abstract

This project quantitatively and spatially examines child abuse reports in a neighborhood context based on the analysis of Allegheny County in Southwestern Pennsylvania that is divided into 98 zip codes. Based on data on child abuse reports obtained from ChildLine from 1994 to 2004, this research tests a relationship between variables traditionally associated with child abuse rates and reporting rates. Next, neighborhood assets are compared to determine their relevance. They include grocery stores, parks, libraries, hospitals, schools and religious institutions. Results include significant relationships between reporting rates and unemployment, vacancy rates, marital status, the elderly population, and the location of universities and hospitals. The last section on policy implications considers developing programs to increase community involvement and develop powerful and dedicated infrastructures.

Format

PDF

Language

English

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