Exposure to neighborhood violence, self-efficacy, and child maltreatment

Background: Child maltreatment is a significant public health concern in the United States, with long-lasting consequences for children's development. Exposure to community violence is a known risk factor for child maltreatment, yet the mechanisms underlying this relationship are unclear. Self-efficacy, a construct reflecting an individual's perceived ability to influence their environment, may play a critical mediating role in this pathway. Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether self-efficacy mediates the relationship between exposure to community violence and child maltreatment, including physical assault, psychological aggression, and neglect. Participants and setting: Data were drawn from the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a longitudinal study of 4898 children born in 20 major cities in the United States. The analysis focused on the third wave of data when children were age 3. Methods: Structural equation modeling was employed to assess the direct and indirect effects of exposure to community violence on three forms of child maltreatment through the mediating variable of self-efficacy. Results: Exposure to community violence had a direct negative impact on maternal self-efficacy. In turn, higher self-efficacy was protective against all three forms of child maltreatment. Self-efficacy partially mediated the relationship between exposure to community violence and child maltreatment, highlighting a pathway through which exposure to violence affects parenting behaviors. Conclusions: Findings underscore the importance of self-efficacy as a protective pathway in mitigating the effects of community violence on child maltreatment. Interventions aimed at enhancing parental self-efficacy and reducing community violence may have significant implications for preventing child maltreatment.