Averting Child Maltreatment: Individual, Economic, Social, and Community Resources that Promote Resilient Parenting

This study explores the influence of promotive factors in achieving resilience to child abuse and neglect among 524 at-risk mothers, an indicator that has substantial implications for the child\u27s development and long-term outcomes. We include in our analyses measures of each ofthe potential qualities or resources discussed in the literature: characteristics of the child, maternal characteristics, socioeconomic resources, social resources and supportive networks, and perceived neighborhood safety. The analyses suggest the importance of a diverse array of factors in the sustained and successful avoidance of child abuse and neglect among a sample of women at risk to maltreat. The explanatory power of promotive factors individually and collectively indicates that resilience does not simply represent the other end of a risk continuum but reflects the presence of considerable and accessible resources that compensate for a range of adversities. These resources include characteristics and activities of the mother, socioeconomic resources, and social resources available in the community in which she and her child live