Having safer neighborhoods, where families feel less stress, can help prevent child abuse, according to new research that supports this long-suspected theory. When parents feel higher levels of stress or hopelessness about their surroundings, they may have a harder time caring for their children, the study confirms.
“To get the best outcomes for kids and to elicit the best parenting, families need a safe, stable, stimulating environment, both at home and in the surrounding community,” said study co-author Katherine Marcal, an assistant professor of social work at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, N.J.
Source: USNEWS
