RFA-CE-24-034: Evaluating the Effects of Ecosystems of State Policy Strategies on Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence Against Children

Prevent Child Abuse America, Chicago IL

Investigators

Abstract

Abstract In response to RFA-CE-24-034, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness of economic support state policy ecosystems on the primary prevention of multiple forms of violence (i.e., child maltreatment [CM] and intimate partner violence [IPV]) against children. This proposal is responsive to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Injury Center’s research priorities to “evaluate the effectiveness of policies or community- level change strategies designed to enhance the economic and social environment to reduce multiple forms of violence and ACEs throughout the lifespan.” Based on the CDC’s recommendations in their CM and IPV prevention Resources for Action technical packages, we propose to expand the scientific evidence base related to state-level, economic supports (ES) policy options (i.e., state-level refundable Earned Income Tax Credit [EITC], paid family leave [PFL], child care subsides [CCS], Child Tax Credit [CTC], and minimum wage [MW]) and the primary prevention of multiple forms of violence against children (i.e., CM and IPV) (Fortson et al., 2016; Niolon et al., 2017). These policies were selected because they are evidence-based, state-level economic support policies that have demonstrated associations with IPV or CM using quasi-experimental methods. A comprehensive, multi-sector public health approach is critical to the primary prevention of violence, which includes strategies (e.g., policies) addressing the conditions and contexts in which people live (Institute of Medicine [IOM], 1988; Solar & Irwin, 2010; World Health Organization [WHO], 2008). Primarily, studies in this arena have focused on the effects of single policy options (i.e., expanding CCS enrollment eligibility) on single violence outcomes (e.g., rates of childhood neglect) (Klika et al., 2022; McGinty et al., 2022; Puls et al., 2021). However, many families often receive multiple social benefits at any point in time, and state legislatures frequently adopt multiple social policies simultaneously or in close succession (Matthay et al. 2021b; Wheaton et al., 2016). There exists a large gap in the scientific evidence base related to how ES policy options may collectively impact violence against children (Puls et al. 2021). We propose a rigorous evaluation of the combined effects of state-level ES ‘policy ecosystems’ (i.e., multiple, co-occurring, ES policy options) on rates of CM and IPV through a through a systematic review of the extant literature linking state-level ES policy options with CM and IPV (Aim 1), a data-driven, landscape assessment of within and between state variation in ES policy ecosystems across time (2002-present) (Aim 2), and quasi-experimental, multilevel time-series analyses examining the impact of shifting state-level ES policy ecosystems on the within-state reduction of CM and IPV (Aim 3). Results from these analyses will provide new insights into the collective effects of state ES policy options, furthering evidence for addressing societal factors as a strategy in the primary prevention of CM and IPV.