Are poverty and child neglect really inseparable?
This article is based on the assumption that the association between poverty and child neglect is not always positive, even though many studies say otherwise. It shows results from both quantitative and qualitative analyses. A mixed method was used to examine the characteristics that could intervene in the variations of the association between poverty and neglect rates in Quebec’s CLSC territories. Cluster analysis and ANOVAS allowed us to determine three groups of territories. They differed in terms of each other by poverty, single-headed families, large families and high population transiency. The group with the highest rates of poverty and neglect was selected for qualitative analyses because these two variables were surprisingly negatively associated. Inside this group, three territories were chosen: Parc Extension, Centre-Sud and Hochelaga-Maisonneuve. They showed the same poverty level (very high) but different neglect rates. Practioners in each territory were interviewed about their perceptions on the people living in the territory, the social environment and the neglect situations. The territories seemed to have the same characteristics on the intervention process but they showed differences in terms of the territory characteristics and the people who live in, related to child neglect or not. Interpretations about these variations were exposed in the discussion. Methodological strenghts and limitations with the implications for the prevention and the research were also discussed.