Neighbourhoods and child maltreatment in South Korea: lessons learned from 20 years

Child maltreatment is a significant social issue in South Korea, prompting numerous studies examining its causes through an ecological framework. While reviews of neighbourhood contexts and child maltreatment have emerged in Western countries, no synthesis exists for South Korea. This scoping review comprehensively searched four major Korean databases (Research Information Service System, DBpia, Korean Studies Information Service System, National Library of Korea) using terms combining ‘child’, ‘maltreatment’ with neighbourhood-related keywords (e.g. ‘poverty’, ‘collective efficacy’). Following PRISMA-ScR guidelines, 17 studies were identified from 98 initial results based on inclusion criteria: Korean data, child maltreatment as outcome, and neighbourhood-level predictors. The review reveals that structural factors (e.g. community poverty) and social processes (e.g. collective efficacy) significantly influence child maltreatment. Future research should examine smaller neighbourhood units, specific maltreatment types, and employ longitudinal designs.