Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health
As societies worldwide addressed the numerous challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling concern emerged—the possible rise of child maltreatment, which is a pernicious risk factor for child and adolescent mental health difficulties. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehe...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2024-07-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2024.1415497/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832593445529583616 |
|---|---|
| author | Hannah McDowell Sophie Barriault Tracie O. Afifi Elisa Romano Nicole Racine Nicole Racine |
| author_facet | Hannah McDowell Sophie Barriault Tracie O. Afifi Elisa Romano Nicole Racine Nicole Racine |
| author_sort | Hannah McDowell |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | As societies worldwide addressed the numerous challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling concern emerged—the possible rise of child maltreatment, which is a pernicious risk factor for child and adolescent mental health difficulties. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the many changes and challenges associated with the pandemic influenced worldwide occurrences of child maltreatment and, subsequently, the mental health of children and adolescents. First, we present the well-established evidence regarding the impact of child maltreatment on the mental health of children and adolescents both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, we examine the existing literature on the prevalence of child maltreatment during the pandemic, explanations for conflicting findings, and key mechanisms influencing the prevalence of maltreatment. Using a heuristic model of child maltreatment and its downstream influence on child mental health, we discuss risk and protective factors for maltreatment as well as mechanisms by which maltreatment operates to influence child and adolescent mental health. Finally, based on the accumulated evidence, we provide important recommendations for advancing research on child maltreatment, emphasizing the necessity for routine monitoring of maltreatment exposure at a population level, and discussing the implications for the field of child protection. This comprehensive review aims to contribute to the understanding of the challenges arising from the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and child maltreatment, with the goal of informing effective interventions in the domain of child welfare. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-fbf58c6b814e43bd89bad61a87ff2acf |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2813-4540 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-07-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-fbf58c6b814e43bd89bad61a87ff2acf2025-01-20T15:20:38ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry2813-45402024-07-01310.3389/frcha.2024.14154971415497Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental healthHannah McDowell0Sophie Barriault1Tracie O. Afifi2Elisa Romano3Nicole Racine4Nicole Racine5School of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaDepartments of Community Health Sciences and Psychiatry, Max Rady College of Medicine, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, MB, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaChildren’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, CanadaAs societies worldwide addressed the numerous challenges associated with the COVID-19 pandemic, a troubling concern emerged—the possible rise of child maltreatment, which is a pernicious risk factor for child and adolescent mental health difficulties. This narrative review aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how the many changes and challenges associated with the pandemic influenced worldwide occurrences of child maltreatment and, subsequently, the mental health of children and adolescents. First, we present the well-established evidence regarding the impact of child maltreatment on the mental health of children and adolescents both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Next, we examine the existing literature on the prevalence of child maltreatment during the pandemic, explanations for conflicting findings, and key mechanisms influencing the prevalence of maltreatment. Using a heuristic model of child maltreatment and its downstream influence on child mental health, we discuss risk and protective factors for maltreatment as well as mechanisms by which maltreatment operates to influence child and adolescent mental health. Finally, based on the accumulated evidence, we provide important recommendations for advancing research on child maltreatment, emphasizing the necessity for routine monitoring of maltreatment exposure at a population level, and discussing the implications for the field of child protection. This comprehensive review aims to contribute to the understanding of the challenges arising from the intersection of the COVID-19 pandemic and child maltreatment, with the goal of informing effective interventions in the domain of child welfare.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2024.1415497/fullmaltreatmentCOVID-19childadolescentmental health |
| spellingShingle | Hannah McDowell Sophie Barriault Tracie O. Afifi Elisa Romano Nicole Racine Nicole Racine Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health Frontiers in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry maltreatment COVID-19 child adolescent mental health |
| title | Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| title_full | Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| title_fullStr | Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| title_full_unstemmed | Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| title_short | Child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic: implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| title_sort | child maltreatment during the covid 19 pandemic implications for child and adolescent mental health |
| topic | maltreatment COVID-19 child adolescent mental health |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frcha.2024.1415497/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT hannahmcdowell childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth AT sophiebarriault childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth AT tracieoafifi childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth AT elisaromano childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth AT nicoleracine childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth AT nicoleracine childmaltreatmentduringthecovid19pandemicimplicationsforchildandadolescentmentalhealth |