30:I[703058,["/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3bhq_5eh1d760.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/1855-ogyi8eh4.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/2pfsjpn6k6zlg.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/26c7v3_3uwnwu.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/25a3ozcrvi1ff.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/2r4wx50nvjh_4.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/23fsw06hsi5b1.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/06_yt270h41rg.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/3ezsiz-7shkna.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/20x2y96ldu5wx.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/2lxntcm3pd1_h.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/00dgco8irq3jw.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/00nwe-kq0rboc.js","/_next/static/immutable/chunks/2051ffx3xzio9.js"],"PaperListPageClient"] 2f:T42d,{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"CollectionPage","name":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences): study design Research & Clinical Takeaways","description":"Explore peer-reviewed papers on Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences) (study design). Clinician-written summaries and actionable practice insights. Updated daily.","url":"https://www.reachrx.ai/hub/tag/study_design/Quasi-Experimental%20Study%20(Synthetic%20Difference-in-Differences)","breadcrumb":{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https://www.reachrx.ai"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Research Hub","item":"https://www.reachrx.ai/hub"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"name":"Study Designs","item":"https://www.reachrx.ai/hub/tag/study_design"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":4,"name":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences)","item":"https://www.reachrx.ai/hub/tag/study_design/Quasi-Experimental%20Study%20(Synthetic%20Difference-in-Differences)"}]}}31:T9f0,Infants are most vulnerable to child maltreatment, in part due to poverty during the perinatal period. In 2024, the prenatal and infant cash prescription program Rx Kids was launched in Flint, Michigan, achieving nearly 100% aggregate uptake and providing every expectant mother with unconditional cash transfers during pregnancy and infancy. To examine whether implementation of the Rx Kids prenatal and infant cash prescription program was associated with changes in child welfare system involvement. This cross-sectional study used administrative data from Children's Protective Services in Michigan among infants born January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2024. Synthetic difference-in-differences-a robust method for aggregate-level data and a single treated city-was used to compare changes in outcomes in Flint before and after implementation of Rx Kids relative to the corresponding change in control cities without the program. Data analysis was conducted from March 19, 2025, to March 4, 2026. Flint residence among infants born in 2024 after Rx Kids implementation. The primary outcome was investigated maltreatment allegations within the first 6 months of life. Secondary outcomes included type of allegation (neglect vs nonneglect) and substantiated allegations. In the 3 years prior to the implementation of Rx Kids, the proportion of infants with an investigated allegation within the first 6 months of life was 21.7% (646 of 2971 infants) in Flint and 19.5% (3921 of 20 124 infants) among control cities. After implementation of Rx Kids in 2024, the investigated allegation rate decreased to 15.5% (165 of 1065 infants) in Flint, falling below the investigated allegation rate of 20.6% (1303 of 6317 infants) among the control cities. Rx Kids was associated with a statistically significant 7.0-percentage-point decrease (95% CI, -12.9 to -1.0; P = .02) in the investigated allegation rate, corresponding to a 32% decrease relative to the preintervention period. There was a decrease in the rate of neglect-related, nonneglect-related, and substantiated allegations; these were directionally consistent with the primary outcome but not statistically significant. Results were robust to alternative model specifications. In this study, the Rx Kids prenatal and infant cash prescription program was associated with a significant reduction in investigated allegations of maltreatment among infants. These findings provide important evidence about the role of economic stability in preventing child welfare system involvement.32:Tf50, Importance Infants are most vulnerable to child maltreatment, in part due to poverty during the perinatal period. In 2024, the prenatal and infant cash prescription program Rx Kids was launched in Flint, Michigan, achieving nearly 100% aggregate uptake and providing every expectant mother with unconditional cash transfers during pregnancy and infancy. Objective To examine whether implementation of the Rx Kids prenatal and infant cash prescription program was associated with changes in child welfare system involvement. Design, Setting, and Participants This cross-sectional study used administrative data from Children’s Protective Services in Michigan among infants born January 1, 2021, through December 31, 2024. Synthetic difference-in-differences—a robust method for aggregate-level data and a single treated city—was used to compare changes in outcomes in Flint before and after implementation of Rx Kids relative to the corresponding change in control cities without the program. Data analysis was conducted from March 19, 2025, to March 4, 2026. Exposure Flint residence among infants born in 2024 after Rx Kids implementation. Main Outcomes and Measures The primary outcome was investigated maltreatment allegations within the first 6 months of life. Secondary outcomes included type of allegation (neglect vs nonneglect) and substantiated allegations. Results In the 3 years prior to the implementation of Rx Kids, the proportion of infants with an investigated allegation within the first 6 months of life was 21.7% (646 of 2971 infants) in Flint and 19.5% (3921 of 20 124 infants) among control cities. After implementation of Rx Kids in 2024, the investigated allegation rate decreased to 15.5% (165 of 1065 infants) in Flint, falling below the investigated allegation rate of 20.6% (1303 of 6317 infants) among the control cities. Rx Kids was associated with a statistically significant 7.0–percentage-point decrease (95% CI, −12.9 to −1.0; P = .02) in the investigated allegation rate, corresponding to a 32% decrease relative to the preintervention period. There was a decrease in the rate of neglect-related, nonneglect-related, and substantiated allegations; these were directionally consistent with the primary outcome but not statistically significant. Results were robust to alternative model specifications. Conclusions and Relevance In this study, the Rx Kids prenatal and infant cash prescription program was associated with a significant reduction in investigated allegations of maltreatment among infants. These findings provide important evidence about the role of economic stability in preventing child welfare system involvement. 25:[[["$","script","0",{"type":"application/ld+json","dangerouslySetInnerHTML":{"__html":"$2f"}}]],["$","$L30",null,{"title":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences): Research & Clinical Takeaways","description":"Browse Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences) research papers with clear, practical takeaways for your clinical practice.","papers":[{"doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","pmid":"42097130","title":"Cash Transfers in the Perinatal Period and Investigations of Infant Maltreatment","journal_title":"JAMA Pediatrics","journal_issn":"2168-6203","published_at":"2026-05-08T00:00:00.000Z","url":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","source_score":56,"is_retracted":false,"is_open_access":true,"raw_metadata":{"ooir":{"day":"2026-05-11","doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","days":"7","issn":"2168-6203","rank":"2","field":"Clinical Medicine","score":"56","category":"Pediatrics","categories":["Pediatrics"],"_categories":["Pediatrics"]},"pubmed":{"doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","title":"Cash Transfers in the Perinatal Period and Investigations of Infant Maltreatment.","journal":"JAMA pediatrics","methods":"","results":"In the 3 years prior to the implementation of Rx Kids, the proportion of infants with an investigated allegation within the first 6 months of life was 21.7% (646 of 2971 infants) in Flint and 19.5% (3921 of 20 124 infants) among control cities. After implementation of Rx Kids in 2024, the investigated allegation rate decreased to 15.5% (165 of 1065 infants) in Flint, falling below the investigated allegation rate of 20.6% (1303 of 6317 infants) among the control cities. Rx Kids was associated with a statistically significant 7.0-percentage-point decrease (95% CI, -12.9 to -1.0; P = .02) in the investigated allegation rate, corresponding to a 32% decrease relative to the preintervention period. There was a decrease in the rate of neglect-related, nonneglect-related, and substantiated allegations; these were directionally consistent with the primary outcome but not statistically significant. 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Luke","family":"Shaefer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor"},{"name":"Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor"}]},{"given":"Samiul","family":"Jubaed","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Poverty Solutions, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor"},{"name":"Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor"}]},{"given":"William","family":"Schneider","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Social Work, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana"}]},{"given":"Eric D.","family":"Finegood","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University–Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, Flint"}]},{"given":"Mona","family":"Hanna","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Michigan State University–Hurley Children’s Hospital Pediatric Public Health Initiative, Charles Stewart Mott Department of Public Health, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, 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Perinatal cash transfers and birth outcomes: a population-based, quasi-experimental study of the Rx Kids unconditional cash prescription during pregnancy and infancy.? SSRN. Preprint posted September 10, 2025. doi:10.2139/ssrn.5459276","article-title":null,"journal-title":null,"doi-asserted-by":"crossref"},{"DOI":"10.2139/ssrn.3592088","key":"poi260025r57","year":null,"issue":null,"author":null,"volume":null,"first-page":null,"unstructured":"Hollingsworth? A, Wing? C. Tactics for design and inference in synthetic control studies: an applied example using high-dimensional data.? SSRN. Preprint posted June 1, 2020. doi:10.2139/ssrn.3592088","article-title":null,"journal-title":null,"doi-asserted-by":"crossref"},{"DOI":null,"key":"poi260025r58","year":null,"issue":null,"author":null,"volume":null,"first-page":null,"unstructured":"Abadie? A, Vives-i-Bastida? J. Synthetic controls in action.? arXiv. 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Preprint posted July 16, 2025. doi:10.31234/osf.io/86pgq_v1","article-title":null,"journal-title":null,"doi-asserted-by":"crossref"}],"short-title":[],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"original-title":[],"container-title":["JAMA Pediatrics"],"reference-count":72,"published-online":{"date-time":null,"timestamp":null,"date-parts":[[2026,5,7]]},"references-count":72,"short-container-title":["JAMA Pediatr"],"is-referenced-by-count":0},"unpaywall":{"doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","is_oa":true,"title":"Cash Transfers in the Perinatal Period and Investigations of Infant Maltreatment","updated":"2026-05-12T08:54:10+00:00","published_date":"2026-05-07","best_oa_location":{"url":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","pmh_id":null,"url_for_pdf":null,"url_for_landing_page":"https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602"}}},"created_at":"2026-05-12T13:18:05.547Z","updated_at":"2026-05-14T15:13:26.918Z","tags":[{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"age_group","value":"infant","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"brand","value":"Rx Kids","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"category","value":"Pediatrics","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"condition","value":"Child Maltreatment","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"condition","value":"Child Neglect","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"impact_flag","value":"practice_changing","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"level_of_evidence","value":"3","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"modality","value":"Unconditional Cash Transfer","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"sample_size","value":"n=31477","value_numeric":31477},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"sex","value":"mixed","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"study_design","value":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences)","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"warning","value":"Sample size (n=31,477) is estimated by summing all infant counts reported across Flint and control cities for the full study period; exact total N is not explicitly stated in the abstract.","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"warning","value":"Secondary outcomes (neglect, non-neglect, substantiated allegations) were directionally consistent but did not reach statistical significance — clinical interpretation should focus on the primary outcome.","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"warning","value":"The program also coincided with a statistically significant increase in births in Flint in early 2024; authors argue compositional birth changes do not explain findings, but this remains a potential confounder.","value_numeric":null},{"paper_doi":"10.1001/jamapediatrics.2026.1602","tag_type":"warning","value":"The study design is cross-sectional with a single treated city, which limits causal inference despite use of synthetic difference-in-differences. The 'practice_changing' flag reflects the novelty and size of the effect but should be interpreted cautiously pending replication in other settings.","value_numeric":null}],"summaries":{"what_studied":"This cross-sectional study used synthetic difference-in-differences to evaluate whether Rx Kids — an unconditional prenatal and infant cash transfer program launched in Flint, Michigan in 2024 — was associated with changes in investigated child maltreatment allegations among infants in the first 6 months of life, compared to 21 matched control cities over 2021–2024.","key_result":"Rx Kids was associated with a statistically significant **7.0-percentage-point decrease** (95% CI, −12.9 to −1.0; P = .02) in investigated maltreatment allegations — a **32% relative reduction** — dropping Flint's rate from 21.7% pre-implementation to 15.5% post-implementation, below the control cities' rate of 20.6%. Neglect, non-neglect, and substantiated allegation rates all trended down but did not reach statistical significance.","limitations":"- Single treated city (Flint) limits generalizability and statistical power for secondary outcomes.\n- Cross-sectional design cannot fully rule out confounding; compositional birth changes were tested but not entirely excluded.\n- Short pre-intervention panel (3 years) constrained use of the synthetic control method, requiring reliance on synthetic difference-in-differences.","practice_takeaway":"Unconditional cash transfers to expectant mothers in a high-poverty urban setting were linked to a one-third drop in investigated infant maltreatment — suggesting economic support in the perinatal period may be a meaningful child welfare prevention tool. Clinicians advocating for at-risk families should be aware that income support programs like Rx Kids may reduce CPS involvement."}}],"initialOffset":1,"fetchConfig":{"kind":"tags","tags":[{"tag_type":"study_design","value":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences)"}]},"breadcrumbItems":[{"name":"Home","href":"/"},{"name":"Research Hub","href":"/hub"},{"name":"Study Designs","href":"/hub/tag/study_design"},{"name":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences)"}],"hrefConfig":{"basePath":"/hub/papers","webViewQueryParams":{"hub_ctx":"tag","hub_tag_type":"study_design","hub_tag_value":"Quasi-Experimental Study (Synthetic Difference-in-Differences)"}}}]]

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