International journal on child maltreatment : research, policy and practice最新文献

The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted child protective services (CPS) reporting systems in the United States. It may have also led to widened gaps between rural and urban communities in child maltreatment (CM) report rates due to decreased interaction between children and mandated reporters especially in urban jurisdictions. Using data from the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System, this study tests the hypothesis that during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the decrease in CM reports made to CPS in urban counties was more pronounced than in rural counties. Reports of CM received by CPS offices between January 6, 2020 and June 28, 2020 were aggregated to per-county-per-week-per-10,000 children maltreatment report rates. We used changepoint analyses to analyze the inter- and intra-region incidence rate ratios among rural and urban counties. Moreover, we used multilevel random effects models to generate regression coefficients for the associations between rates of children with a maltreatment report, COVID-19 occurrence, rural-urban designation, and maltreatment risk factors. During the study period, rates of children with a maltreatment report among urban counties decreased more dramatically when compared with rural counties. Our findings persisted even with the inclusion of control variables associated with maltreatment risk factors. Social distancing restrictions may have had the unintended consequence of decreasing the visibility of at-risk children in urban counties more so than in rural counties. Considering geography is critical to continue to protect children during the COVID-19 pandemic and as we prepare for future disasters.

This paper provides a reflection on the evolution of child maltreatment systems and research across the globe during the time since the establishment of the Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect (Kempe Center) over 50 years ago. While research has demonstrated that children who are victims of maltreatment have poorer outcomes than their peers, it is also clear that the child welfare workforce faces workforce challenges, and the system established 50 years ago is not the same as it is today. Efforts to move this field of study forward in a changing world rely upon the understanding of child abuse and neglect in the broader culture of our world, including disentangling poverty and social structures from neglect, supporting underrepresented people and communities, and identifying how best to balance the role of child welfare with community services. The Kempe Center's continued commitment to a multidisciplinary approach to understanding, preventing, and treating child maltreatment, while challenging professional and social reticence to address complex contributing issues and the impact of historical actions, is at the core of its work looking forward to the next 50 years. The continued focus of centering research as a critical component in moving the field forward in just and equitable ways is demonstrated in this sampling of current efforts to support better outcomes for children and families.

The COVID-19 pandemic saw drastic and unprecedented actions by governments to mitigate the spread of the virus. Often, the restrictions limited in-person interaction and included the closure of schools. To investigate the impact of both the pandemic and resulting restrictions, the International Society of Child Indicators developed the Childrens Worlds: COVID-19 Supplement. This paper reports on the results of that survey in Wales in 2021. Seven hundred and twenty seven children from 18 schools participated from years 6 and 8. They received an anonymous survey asking about their circumstances and well-being across a range of domains, and how these have changes during the pandemic. The children had experienced significant changes in their lives with the onset of the pandemic. The majority could not attend school, were confined to their homes, and were unable to see wider family and friends in person. Almost a half of both groups felt that their relationships with family they lived with had improved, with many becoming closer to members. Over one-fifth of both groups thought their relationships with friends were affected, with younger children more likely to think they had improved. The pattern throughout the survey was that the older children were less positive in their responses. The disparity between the groups was markedly so regarding school with the secondary schoolchildren being particularly dissatisfied with the content of their learning. Whereas there was a trend for less disparity between the groups during COVID-19, the only area where the disparity increased was regarding satisfaction with school. These findings are then placed in the context of developments in education in Wales and research on the impact of COVID on Welsh schools and schoolchildren. As in other countries, the pandemic would appear to have exacerbated existing educational inequalities.

This paper presents findings from a pilot study focused on examining intergenerational violence in a three-generation sample, which included young children, in a rural area of South Africa. The aims of the pilot study were to investigate the feasibility of participant recruitment, consent, and interviewing; length and burden of the study questionnaires; appropriateness and acceptability of the measures used; and young children's (age 4-7) ability to comprehend the measures and participate meaningfully in interviews asking about violence. Data were collected for 4 months with three groups of participants, often within families (young adults, their children, and the young adults' former caregivers), using cognitive interviews, quantitative questionnaires, and qualitative in-depth interviews. All groups participated in arts-based methods and child interviews included visual and tactile aids. Pilot study findings demonstrated feasible recruitment within families for a three-generation study using comprehensive consent protocols and mandatory reporting information. Adults and young children were able to participate in the extensive interviews (2-3 h and 1 h, respectively) without significant burden. The employed measures were appropriate and acceptable to the setting, though minor revisions were made to improve comprehension of certain items. Young children were able to engage and participate meaningfully in the research, though they were not able to answer abstract reasoning items in cognitive interviews and children who were less developmentally advanced required more play- and arts-based accommodations to support their participation. Future research around sensitive topics, such as violence, appears feasible within families and including young children as participants even in resource-poor settings.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42448-023-00157-w.

The striking prevalence of child exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and its associated adverse health outcomes necessitates a robust response from professionals who must grapple with the ethical dilemma of how to serve and support children in these circumstances. In 2020, 42 participants from four different professional backgrounds (attorneys, nonprofit leadership, licensed therapists, and social workers) were interviewed or participated in a focus group discussion. All groups acknowledged the shortfalls of current intervention practices, which often result in child removal. Group 1, which included social workers that work for children's legal services, minor's counsel, and Los Angeles Department of Child and Family Services social workers, were more conflicted in their recommendations for change. Some Group 1 participants recommended more training, while others thought more training would make little difference and recommended more substantial changes to prevent child removal when possible. Group 2, which included parents' counsel, and Group 3, which included social workers, attorneys, and nonprofit leadership at IPV nonprofits, were more closely aligned in their recommendations, primarily focusing on systemic changes to the child welfare system. Participants whose employment required them to advocate for parents tend to view child removal from a non-offending parent as harmful for both the child and IPV survivor. These findings illuminate how the perspectives of these diverse participants are influenced by their professional and personal experiences.