# RFA-CE-24-034: Evaluating the Effects of Ecosystems of State Policy Strategies on Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence Against Children

> **NIH ALLCDC U01** · PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA · 2024 · $349,991

## Abstract

Abstract
In response to RFA-CE-24-034, we propose to evaluate the effectiveness of economic support state policy
ecosystems on the primary prevention of multiple forms of violence (i.e., child maltreatment [CM] and intimate
partner violence [IPV]) against children. This proposal is responsive to the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) Injury Center’s research priorities to “evaluate the effectiveness of policies or community-
level change strategies designed to enhance the economic and social environment to reduce multiple forms of
violence and ACEs throughout the lifespan.” Based on the CDC’s recommendations in their CM and IPV
prevention Resources for Action technical packages, we propose to expand the scientific evidence base
related to state-level, economic supports (ES) policy options (i.e., state-level refundable Earned Income Tax
Credit [EITC], paid family leave [PFL], child care subsides [CCS], Child Tax Credit [CTC], and minimum wage
[MW]) and the primary prevention of multiple forms of violence against children (i.e., CM and IPV) (Fortson et
al., 2016; Niolon et al., 2017). These policies were selected because they are evidence-based, state-level
economic support policies that have demonstrated associations with IPV or CM using quasi-experimental
methods.
A comprehensive, multi-sector public health approach is critical to the primary prevention of violence, which
includes strategies (e.g., policies) addressing the conditions and contexts in which people live (Institute of
Medicine [IOM], 1988; Solar & Irwin, 2010; World Health Organization [WHO], 2008). Primarily, studies in this
arena have focused on the effects of single policy options (i.e., expanding CCS enrollment eligibility) on single
violence outcomes (e.g., rates of childhood neglect) (Klika et al., 2022; McGinty et al., 2022; Puls et al., 2021).
However, many families often receive multiple social benefits at any point in time, and state legislatures
frequently adopt multiple social policies simultaneously or in close succession (Matthay et al. 2021b; Wheaton
et al., 2016). There exists a large gap in the scientific evidence base related to how ES policy options may
collectively impact violence against children (Puls et al. 2021). We propose a rigorous evaluation of the
combined effects of state-level ES ‘policy ecosystems’ (i.e., multiple, co-occurring, ES policy options) on rates
of CM and IPV through a through a systematic review of the extant literature linking state-level ES policy
options with CM and IPV (Aim 1), a data-driven, landscape assessment of within and between state variation
in ES policy ecosystems across time (2002-present) (Aim 2), and quasi-experimental, multilevel time-series
analyses examining the impact of shifting state-level ES policy ecosystems on the within-state reduction of CM
and IPV (Aim 3). Results from these analyses will provide new insights into the collective effects of state ES
policy options, furthering evidence for addressing...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10993462
- **Project number:** 1U01CE003658-01
- **Recipient organization:** PREVENT CHILD ABUSE AMERICA
- **Principal Investigator:** Jeffry Barton Klika
- **Activity code:** U01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** ALLCDC
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $349,991
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-09-30 → 2027-09-29

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10993462

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10993462, RFA-CE-24-034: Evaluating the Effects of Ecosystems of State Policy Strategies on Preventing Multiple Forms of Violence Against Children (1U01CE003658-01). Retrieved via MORVS 2026-10-25 from https://api.morvs.ai/grant/nih/10993462. Licensed CC0.

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