Abstract
Official rates of child maltreatment in rural areas exceed rates within urban areas. Within urban-based research, neighborhood factors such as parenting support from neighbors have been found to affect parenting behaviors in important ways. Using in-depth interviews, the current study sought to understand parenting support from neighbors within rural areas. During the summer of 2021, virtual in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 parents in rural Michigan. Parents were recruited from three online community groups in Livingston County, Michigan, via Facebook. Participants had mixed feelings about whether their neighbors were helpful in supporting their parenting. Some participants reported that they had meaningful community connections related to parenting that were helpful to them in assisting with watching over their children, keeping their children safe, and sharing advice and resources. Other participants reported feelings of isolation. These participants reported feeling disconnected from their neighbors, having limited information about their neighbors, and being unsure about how their neighbors could be helpful to them in their parenting role. Many participants reported the importance of informal networks, but relied on individuals who were not in their direct geographic neighborhood for parenting support. The study suggests that findings from urban neighborhood research literature and the measures used to generate these findings may not apply within the rural context.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Alger, M. (n.d.). Michigan—Rural definitions: State-level maps. United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/DataFiles/53180/25577_MI.pdf?v=0. Accessed 11/1/2023.
Belanger, K., & Stone, W. (2008). The social service divide: Service availability and accessibility in rural versus urban counties and impact on child welfare outcomes. Child Welfare, 87(4), 101–124.
Beyer, K. M. M., Layde, P. M., Hamberger, L. K., & Laud, P. W. (2013). Characteristics of the residential neighborhood environment differentiate intimate partner femicide in urban versus rural settings. The Journal of Rural Health, 29(3), 281–293. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0361.2012.00448.x
Boydell, K. M., Pong, R., Volpe, T., Tilleczek, K., Wilson, E., & Lemieux, S. (2006). Family perspectives on pathways to mental health care for children and youth in rural communities. The Journal of Rural Health, 22(2), 182–188. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-0361.2006.00029.x
Ceballo, R., & McLoyd, V. C. (2002). Social support and parenting in poor, dangerous neighborhoods. Child Development, 73(4), 1310–1321. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-8624.00473
Clarke, V., & Braun, V. (2013). Successful qualitative research: A practical guide for beginners. Successful Qualitative Research, 1–400.
Corralejo, S. M., & Domenech Rodríguez, M. M. (2018). Technology in parenting programs: A systematic review of existing interventions. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 27(9), 2717–2731. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10826-018-1117-1
Coulton, C. J., Korbin, J., Chan, T., & Su, M. (2001). Mapping residents’ perceptions of neighborhood boundaries: A methodological note. American Journal of Community Psychology, 29(2), 371–383. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1010303419034
Coulton, C. J., Crampton, D. S., Irwin, M., Spilsbury, J. C., & Korbin, J. E. (2007). How neighborhoods influence child maltreatment: A review of the literature and alternative pathways. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(11–12), 1117–1142. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.03.023
Cuellar, J., Jones, D. J., & Sterrett, E. (2015). Examining parenting in the neighborhood context: A review. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 24(1), 195–219.
Cummings, J. R., Case, B. G., Ji, X., & Marcus, S. C. (2016). Availability of youth services in U.S. mental health treatment facilities. Administration and Policy in Mental Health, 43(5), 717–727. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0685-2
Daly, M. (2015). Parenting support as policy field: An analytic framework. Social Policy and Society, 14(4), 597–608. Cambridge Core. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474746415000226
Domoff, S. E., Hayman, J., & Tompsett, C. J. (2012). College students’ perceptions of collective efficacy: Results from a nonurban sample. Journal of Community Psychology, 40(6), 762–768. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.21498
Dunning, M. J., & Giallo, R. (2012). Fatigue, parenting stress, self-efficacy and satisfaction in mothers of infants and young children. Journal of Reproductive and Infant Psychology, 30(2), 145–159.
Flora, C. B., Flora, J. L., & Gasteyer, S. P. (2015). Rural communities: Legacy + change (5 edition). Routledge.
Freisthler, B., Merritt, D. H., & LaScala, E. A. (2006). Understanding the ecology of child maltreatment: A review of the literature and directions for future research. Child Maltreatment, 11(3), 263–280. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559506289524
Fromm, S. J. (2004). The processes that moderate the effect of community structural factors on neighborhood child maltreatment rates (Order No. 3128757). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Closed Collection. (305165472). Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/processes-that-moderate-effect-community/docview/305165472/se-2
Garbarino, J., & Kostelny, K. (1992). Child maltreatment as a community problem. Child Abuse & Neglect, 16(4), 455–464. https://doi.org/10.1016/0145-2134(92)90062-V
Garbarino, J., & Sherman, D. (1980). High-risk neighborhoods and high-risk families: The human ecology of child maltreatment. Child Development, 51(1), 188–198. JSTOR. https://doi.org/10.2307/1129606
Gearhart, M. C., & Joseph, M. L. (2019). Social cohesion, mutual efficacy, and informal social control: Enhancing the conceptualization of collective efficacy. Community Development, 50(1), 3–15.
Girth, A. M., Hefetz, A., Johnston, J. M., & Warner, M. E. (2012). Outsourcing public service delivery: Management responses in noncompetitive markets. Publadmirevi Public Administration Review, 72(6), 887–900.
Gonzales, N. A., Coxe, S., Roosa, M. W., White, R. M., Knight, G. P., Zeiders, K. H., & Saenz, D. (2011). Economic hardship, neighborhood context, and parenting: Prospective effects on Mexican–American adolescent’s mental health. American Journal of Community Psychology, 47, 98–113.
Hall, W., & Irvine, V. (2009). E-communication among mothers of infants and toddlers in a community-based cohort: A content analysis. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(1), 175–183.
Heflinger, C. A., & Christens, B. (2006). Rural behavioral health services for children and adolescents: An ecological and community psychology analysis. Journal of Community Psychology, 34(4), 379–400. https://doi.org/10.1002/jcop.20105
Henning-Smith, C., Ecklund, A., Lahr, M., Evenson, A., Moscovice, I., & Kozhimannil, K. (2018). Key informant perspectives on rural social isolation and loneliness [Policy Brief]. Rural Health Research Center. http://rhrc.umn.edu/wp-content/files_mf/1539002382UMNpolicybriefKeyInformantPerspectivesonRuralSocialIsolationandLoneliness.pdf. Accessed 11/1/2023.
Hill, T. D., & Maimon, D. (2013). Neighborhood context and mental health. In Handbook of the sociology of mental health (pp. 479–501). Springer.
Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.
Jarrett, R. L. (1997). African American family and parenting strategies in impoverished neighborhoods. Qualitative Sociology, 20(2), 275–288. https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1024717803273
Kelly, D., Steiner, A., Mazzei, M., & Baker, R. (2019). Filling a void? The role of social enterprise in addressing social isolation and loneliness in rural communities. Journal of Rural Studies, 70, 225–236. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.01.024
Korbin, J. E., Coulton, C. J., Chard, S., Platt-Houston, C., & Su, M. (1998). Impoverishment and child maltreatment in African American and European American neighborhoods. Development and Psychopathology, 10(2), 215–233.
Leslie, H. H., Ahern, J., Pettifor, A. E., Twine, R., Kahn, K., Gómez-Olivé, F. X., & Lippman, S. A. (2015). Collective efficacy, alcohol outlet density, and young men’s alcohol use in rural South Africa. Health & Place, 34, 190–198. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2015.05.014
Maguire-Jack, K., & Kim, H. (2021). Rural differences in child maltreatment reports, reporters, and service responses. Children and Youth Services Review, 120, 105792.
Maguire-Jack, K., & Showalter, K. (2016). The protective effect of neighborhood social cohesion in child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse & Neglect, 52, 29–37. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.12.011
Maguire-Jack, K., & Wang, X. (2016). Pathways from neighborhood to neglect: The mediating effects of social support and parenting stress. Children and Youth Services Review, 66, 28–34. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.04.017
Maguire-Jack, K., Jespersen, B., Korbin, J. E., & Spilsbury, J. C. (2020). Rural child maltreatment: A scoping literature review. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 1524838020915592. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524838020915592
Maguire-Jack, K., Yoon, S., & Hong, S. (2021). Social cohesion and informal social control as mediators between neighborhood poverty and child maltreatment. Child Maltreatment, 10775595211007566. https://doi.org/10.1177/10775595211007566
Manabe, Y. (2004). Neighborhoods, residents, and child maltreatment (Order No. 1421281). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global; ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global Closed Collection. (305033733). Retrieved from https://proxy.lib.umich.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/neighborhoods-residents-child-maltreatment/docview/305033733/se-2
Marco, A. D., & Vernon-Feagans, L. (2013). Rural neighborhood context, child care quality, and relationship to early language development. Early Education and Development, 24(6), 792–812. https://doi.org/10.1080/10409289.2013.736036
McLeigh, J. D., McDonell, J. R., & Lavenda, O. (2018). Neighborhood poverty and child abuse and neglect: The mediating role of social cohesion. Children and Youth Services Review, 93, 154–160. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.07.018
Mesch, G. S., & Manor, O. (1998). Social ties, environmental perception, and local attachment. Environment and Behavior, 30(4), 504–519. https://doi.org/10.1177/001391659803000405
Molnar, B. E., Goerge, R. M., Gilsanz, P., Hill, A., Subramanian, S. V., Holton, J. K., Duncan, D. T., Beatriz, E. D., & Beardslee, W. R. (2016). Neighborhood-level social processes and substantiated cases of child maltreatment. Child Abuse & Neglect, 51, 41–53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.11.007
Okechukwu, A. (2021). Watching and seeing: Recovering abolitionist possibilities in Black community practices of safety and security. Du Bois Review: Social Science Research on Race, 18(1), 153–180. Cambridge Core. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1742058X21000035
Pruitt, S. L., Jeffe, D. B., Yan, Y., & Schootman, M. (2012). Reliability of perceived neighbourhood conditions and the effects of measurement error on self-rated health across urban and rural neighbourhoods. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 66(4), 342–351. https://doi.org/10.1136/jech.2009.103325
Rhoad-Drogalis, A., Dynia, J. M., Justice, L. M., Purtell, K. M., Logan, J. A., & Salsberry, P. J. (2020). Neighborhood influences on perceived social support and parenting behaviors. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 24(2), 250–258.
Sampson, R. J., Raudenbush, S. W., & Earls, F. (1997). Neighborhoods and violent crime: A multilevel study of collective efficacy. Science, 277(5328), 918–924. JSTOR.
Simmons-Horton, S. Y., Rollins, T. N., Harris, R., & Blackmore, A. (2022). Aunties, uncles, me maws, and play cousins: Exploring trends in formal kinship care for Black families in Texas. Child Welfare, Suppl. Special Issue: Transforming Child Welfare through Anti-Racist Approaches, 100(1), 165–193. Research Library; Sociological Abstracts; Sociology Database.
Taylor, C. A., McKasson, S., Hoy, G., & DeJong, W. (2017). Parents’ primary professional sources of parenting advice moderate predictors of parental attitudes toward corporal punishment. Journal of Child and Family Studies, 26(2), 652–663.
United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service. (2021). Population and migration. https://www.ers.usda.gov/topics/rural-economy-population/population-migration/. Accessed 11/1/2023.
van Woerden, H. (2016). Loneliness and Health (Annual Report of the Director of Public Health). NHS Highland. https://www.nhshighland.scot.nhs.uk/Publications/Documents/DPH%20Annual%20Report%202016%20(web%20version).pdf. Accessed 11/1/2023.
Vinson, T., Baldry, E., & Hargreaves, J. (1996). Neighbourhoods, networks and child abuse. The British Journal of Social Work, 26(4), 523–543. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.bjsw.a011123
Werth, S. R. (2022). Social disharmony and racial injustice: WEB Du Bois’s theories on crime. Social Problems. Spac002, https://doi.org/10.1093/socpro/spac002
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Competing Interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Maguire-Jack, K., Chang, O.D., Smith, D.Y. et al. Understanding Parenting Support in Rural Neighborhoods. Int. Journal on Child Malt. (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-024-00191-2
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42448-024-00191-2