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Why urban areas have more child abuse notificationsWeb survey about abuse detection and population density 
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People make reports of suspected child abuse to child guidance centers more frequently in urban areas and there is a positive correlation with the population density of Japan's prefectures. However, the causes of this phenomenon remain unclear. We hypothesized that neighborhoods with a high population density are more likely to notice signs of abuse. A nationwide web-based survey of 5500 people in Japan revealed that residents of more densely populated areas were more likely to have directly seen or heard such signs of abuse. This study points out that population densities may increase the detection of abuse. Since child abuse is a serious social problem, we want to contribute to a society in which children can live happily. For this purpose, we are studying the characteristics of how people report possible child abuse to child guidance centers and other governmental agencies.
[1] Masafumi Matsuda, Yuko Okumura, Tessei Kobayashi, Hiroki Higuchi, “Regional Differences in Notification of Abuse to Child Guidance Centers -Analysis Using Prefectural Population Density,” Journal of Health and Welfare Statistics, Vol. 70, No. 13, pp. 2-6, 2023. (In Japanese)
Masafumi Matsuda
Child Development Research Group, Innovative Communication Laboratory