Measuring Economic Hardship in Child Maltreatment Research: Evidence from Canada

Poverty is a frequently cited risk factor for child maltreatment. This review critically assesses how Canadian research on child maltreatment has operationalized economic hardship to improve understanding of the relationship between the two concepts. The review includes 16 studies between 1986 and 2011 using data reported by individuals, child protection workers, and third party sources such as Statistics Canada. Variables used to measure economic hardship included income, income source, perceived ability of income to meet needs, employment status, education achievements, and variables related to shelter such as number of moves and home ownership. Operationalizing economic hardship with these variables shows differing results-both in direction and magnitude-depending on the outcome variable. The knowledge base would be improved with more precise measurement of economic hardship variables.