Previous findings on the relationship between neighborhood informal social control and child abuse have been mixed. We implemented a scale created by Emery, Trung, and Wu to study protective informal social control of child maltreatment (ISC_CM) by neighbors in a three-stage random cluster sample of 541 families in Seoul, South Korea. Random-effects regression models found that protective ISC_CM significantly moderated the relationship between very severe abuse and child injuries. Very severe abuse was associated with fewer injuries when levels of protective ISC_CM were higher. Implications are discussed.

Although previous research has demonstrated larger households to be at higher risk of physical abuse and neglect of children, we argue that unilateral conceptualization of larger households as a risk factor is inappropriate. Application of resource dilution theory must capture the possibility that larger families may have more members with both the agency and will to intervene against child maltreatment. We hypothesized a negative interaction between household size and protective informal social control by family members in predicting abuse injuries and neglect. A three-stage probability proportional to size cluster sample representative of Novosibirsk, Russia, was collected from 306 cohabiting couples. One parent in each household was interviewed. A focal child was selected using most recent birthday. When responses limited to families with minor children (below age 18) were selected, 172 families remained in the data. Physical abuse and neglect were measured using the Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS). Protective informal social control by family members was measured using the Informal Social Control of Child Maltreatment (ISC_CM) Scale. Models were tested using random effects regression and logistic regression. Nearly 7% of focal children were injured in the last year, 10% were neglected. Consistent with previous research, protective informal social control was associated with lower odds of injury and fewer instances of neglect. The significant negative interaction between household size and protective control is consistent with the idea that larger households may be protective when adult family members intervene against maltreatment to protect children. Replication and further investigation of protective ISC_CM in Western populations is much needed. Future research should not conceptualize or measure household size as a unilateral risk factor.

Evidence that informal social control by neighbors is negatively associated with child maltreatment is increasing, but extant studies are almost entirely cross-sectional and observational. We developed an experimental protocol for this vignette study to assess the effect of perceived informal social control on self-estimated probability of physical child abuse. Probability proportional to size cluster sampling of neighborhoods was used to obtain an experimental sample of 100 fathers from Seoul and 102 parents from Novosibirsk. In the experimental protocol, participants were told that the informal social control of child maltreatment scale was the most important scale, and that they had hence been given an example of the form "filled out by a neighbor." Participants were randomly assigned to high or low social control by neighbors, provided the questionnaire, and were debriefed afterwards. Random effects regression models found a significant interaction between the treatment and perpetrator status in Seoul. Informal social control appears to have the desired deterrent effect on those who have perpetrated abuse. However, consistent with forensic research on those who are incorrectly accused of crime, results for non-perpetrators did not conform to this pattern.

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