Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Child Abuse & Neglect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/chiabuneg Child maltreatment reporting in the general population: Examining the roles of community, collective efficacy, and adverse childhood experiences ☆ Jennifer Price Wolf ⁎ , Arturo Baiocchi, Tyler Argüello Division of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento, 600 J Street Sacramento, CA 95812, United States ARTICLE INFO Keywords: Child maltreatment reporting Collective efficacy Experimental studies Community ABSTRACT According to bystander theory, factors such as the community environment, collective efficacy, and history of adverse childhood experiences could be related to likelihood of reporting or in- tervening against maltreatment. An online survey was conducted with 946 general population Californians obtained through mixed-mode random probability and quota-based recruitment methods. Using an experimental vignette design, participants were randomly assigned to two scenarios: a) potential child abuse occurring in their neighborhood; b) potential child abuse in an unfamiliar neighborhood. Weighted multivariate logistic regression models assessed relation- ships between the vignette condition, collective efficacy, appraisal of the behavior, and like- lihood of reporting or intervening. The results suggested that perceiving the vignette as occurring in your own neighborhood was associated with lower odds of viewing the behavior as appro- priate and considering it abusive. Higher collective efficacy scores were associated with lower odds of viewing the incident as inappropriate but higher odds of personally intervening. Adverse childhood experiences were positively related to reporting the incident to child protective ser- vices and intervening. Bystanders may be more likely to give parents in their own neighborhood "the benefit of the doubt" by viewing their abusive behaviors as less severe, potentially leading to underreporting. Neighborhood collective efficacy might increase willingness to personally in- tervene, but not contact systems such as child protective services or police, suggesting that en- hanced trust in communities does not extend to these institutions. Our findings have implications for neighborhood and education interventions to enhance understanding of and willingness to intervene on behalf of children. 1. Introduction Child maltreatment remains a significant concern in the United States, with approximately 12–13% of U.S. children experiencing maltreatment before age 18 (Wildeman et al., 2014). These children are at risk for negative mental and physical health consequences throughout the life course (Afifi, Mota, MacMillan, & Sareen, 2013; Fuller-Thomson, Brennenstuhl, & Frank, 2011; Sperry & Widom, 2013). Despite the high prevalence and significant consequences, child maltreatment remains both under-reported in some situations and over-reported in others (Finkelhor, Turner, Shattuck, & Hamby, 2015; Sedlak et al., 2010). This suggests that many children https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.06.003 Received 22 January 2018; Received in revised form 1 May 2018; Accepted 4 June 2018 ☆ This study was funded by a grant from the College of Health and Human Services at California, State University, Sacramento. The material has not been published in whole or in part elsewhere. The paper is not currently being considered for publication elsewhere, and we have no conflicts of interest to report. ⁎ Corresponding author. E-mail address: wolf@csus.edu (J.P. Wolf). Child Abuse & Neglect 82 (2018) 201–209 0145-2134/ © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. T