Hidden children: Child maltreatment in the COVID-19 pandemic

The purpose of this dissertation was to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the occurrence and identification of child abuse and neglect. The first study concurrently examined changes in identification and medical evaluations of maltreatment allegations from before to during COVID-19. Reports to social services and child maltreatment evaluation center medical evaluations were collected from two counties and compared across the months of March-December 2019 and 2020. Findings showed divergent trends in reporting and evaluation of suspected maltreatment cases from before to during COVID-19. Specifically, while reports of suspected maltreatment were lower in 2020 than in 2019, the proportion of children reported to the county that received medical evaluations was higher in 2020 compared to 2019. Studies 2A and 2B took a different approach, assessing the impact of COVID-19 on laypersons' ability to identify the most common form of maltreatment, child neglect. To do so, adults read vignettes about a mother's care of her daughter and responded to questions about the mother's neglectfulness, their reporting likelihood, and their attributions of blame for the situation. Though most adults were able to distinguish situations with versus without neglect, some conflated poverty and neglect when making identification and reporting decisions. COVID-19 had an indirect, rather than direct, impact on these decisions. Moreover, attributions of blame partially explained laypersons' perceptions and reporting decisions. Together these studies can help the developing public education efforts or alternative methods of identifying vulnerable children and intervening in situations of harm. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Child safety, welfare and well-being: Issues and challenges., 2nd ed

This book provides a focused and comprehensive overview of the status of children across society, with special reference to emerging features and measures of child safety, welfare, and overall well-being. The book is arranged into four parts covering various dimensions of child welfare and well-being. In this second edition, highly experienced academics, researchers, child rights activities, and policymakers from both developed and developing countries have contributed chapters on topics such as status of children living under institutional care, sexual abuse of male children and tribal girl children, issues and challenges faced by children living in conflict zones, children living on the streets, COVID-19 and its impact on the education of children. The status of marginalized children gets special importance in the second edition. The new chapters include field-based experiences of researchers in protecting child rights and preventing child abuse. It also considers the promising strategies and promising future directions in enhancing effective prevention, intervention and responses to child abuse and neglect. This volume is essential for a wide range of professionals and researchers from the social sciences, law, medicine, and behavioral sciences. It is also beneficial for policymakers and law enforcement agencies working with children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Introduction-Child safety, welfare, and well-being: Need of the hour

Globally, public health policy makers are very much concerned about the child's safety from all adversities. In this regard, various policies and programs are taken in different countries following the broad guidelines of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) to ensure protection of children and creating a child-friendly environment. Social distancing caused by COVID-19 created additional problems for children across the world. It did not affect children emotionally;it adversely impacted their learning process and created a big division between urban and rural children. Rural children in India were deprived of education in the last 19 months. In this chapter, emphasis is given on discussing the child safety and overall welfare and well-being of children in different social strata in the developing countries like India. Further, the chapter discusses the international efforts for child safety and protection with special emphasis on various initiatives taken by the Government of India. Poor reporting of child abuse and neglect cases is one of the main challenges for improving the situation. Therefore, the chapter also narrates various strategies for encouraging the parents and victim children for reporting incidents of abuse to the appropriate authorities. There is a need to review the legislative measures and programs from time to time which is highlighted in the chapter in addition to discussing the importance of the documentation system. At the end of the chapter, preventive measures and intervention strategies and related challenges are elaborated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Introduction-Child safety, welfare, and well-being: Need of the hour

Globally, public health policy makers are very much concerned about the child's safety from all adversities. In this regard, various policies and programs are taken in different countries following the broad guidelines of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) to ensure protection of children and creating a child-friendly environment. Social distancing caused by COVID-19 created additional problems for children across the world. It did not affect children emotionally;it adversely impacted their learning process and created a big division between urban and rural children. Rural children in India were deprived of education in the last 19 months. In this chapter, emphasis is given on discussing the child safety and overall welfare and well-being of children in different social strata in the developing countries like India. Further, the chapter discusses the international efforts for child safety and protection with special emphasis on various initiatives taken by the Government of India. Poor reporting of child abuse and neglect cases is one of the main challenges for improving the situation. Therefore, the chapter also narrates various strategies for encouraging the parents and victim children for reporting incidents of abuse to the appropriate authorities. There is a need to review the legislative measures and programs from time to time which is highlighted in the chapter in addition to discussing the importance of the documentation system. At the end of the chapter, preventive measures and intervention strategies and related challenges are elaborated. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Child safety, welfare and well-being: Issues and challenges., 2nd ed

This book provides a focused and comprehensive overview of the status of children across society, with special reference to emerging features and measures of child safety, welfare, and overall well-being. The book is arranged into four parts covering various dimensions of child welfare and well-being. In this second edition, highly experienced academics, researchers, child rights activities, and policymakers from both developed and developing countries have contributed chapters on topics such as status of children living under institutional care, sexual abuse of male children and tribal girl children, issues and challenges faced by children living in conflict zones, children living on the streets, COVID-19 and its impact on the education of children. The status of marginalized children gets special importance in the second edition. The new chapters include field-based experiences of researchers in protecting child rights and preventing child abuse. It also considers the promising strategies and promising future directions in enhancing effective prevention, intervention and responses to child abuse and neglect. This volume is essential for a wide range of professionals and researchers from the social sciences, law, medicine, and behavioral sciences. It is also beneficial for policymakers and law enforcement agencies working with children. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Child abuse and neglect in Brussels during the COVID-19-lockdown.

BACKGROUND: It is likely that the circumstances during the COVID-19-lockdown in Belgium increased the incidence and prevalence of child abuse and neglect (CAN) due to exacerbated risk factors and new COVID-19-related stressors. However, traditional reporters had less contact with children which could lead to undetected cases of CAN. OBJECTIVE: Gain insight into the number and profile of CAN reports filed to the Brussels Confidential Center of Child Abuse and Neglect (CCCAN) during the COVID-19-lockdown. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: A dataset comprising 536 CAN reports from periods before (N = 442) and during the lockdown (N = 94). METHODS: Characteristics about the report, reporter, victim and his/her family, perpetrator(s) and the trajectory with the CCCAN were registered. The number and characteristics of reports during the lockdown were compared to those of reports before the lockdown. RESULTS: The number of advisory questions (p = .506, d = .377) and allegations (p = .095, d = 1.206) remained unchanged. During the lockdown, the risk assessment of advisory questions was higher (p = .011, d = .280), they evolved more into social exigency investigations (p < .001, φ = .246) and were referred more often to judicial authorities (p = .010, φ = .163). Allegations were filed more often by the helpline, police and judicial authorities (p < .001, φ = .590) during the lockdown and involved more Dutch-speaking (p = .016, φ = .166) victims. CONCLUSIONS: The number of CAN reports remained the same during the lockdown but their profile changed.

US shelter in place policies and child abuse Google search volume during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unemployment, school closures, movement restrictions, and social isolation, all of which are child abuse risk factors. Our objective was to estimate the effect of COVID-19 shelter in place (SIP) policies on child abuse as captured by Google searches. We applied a differences-in-differences design to estimate the effect of SIP on child abuse search volume. We linked state-level SIP policies to outcome data from the Google Health Trends Application Programming Interface. The outcome was searches for child abuse-related phrases as a scaled proportion of total searches for each state-week between December 31, 2017 and June 14, 2020. Between 914 and 1512 phrases were included for each abuse subdomain (physical, sexual, and emotional). Eight states and DC were excluded because of suppressed outcome data. Of the remaining states, 38 introduced a SIP policy between March 19, 2020 and April 7, 2020 and 4 states did not. The introduction of SIP generally led to no change, except for a slight reduction in child abuse search volume in weeks 8-10 post-SIP introduction, net of changes experienced by states that did not introduce SIP at the same time. We did not find strong evidence for an effect of SIP on child abuse searches. However, an increase in total search volume during the pandemic that may be differential between states with and without SIP policies could have biased these findings. Future work should examine the effect of SIP at the individual and population level using other data sources.

Do macroeconomic shocks in the local labor market lead to child maltreatment and death?: Empirical evidence from Japan.

BACKGROUND: Japan is facing a rapid increase in the number of reported child maltreatment cases. Child maltreatment has long-term consequences for the victims, and unemployment rate is considered a strong predictor of it. However, only few studies have analyzed the causal relation between child maltreatment and the unemployment rate-particularly the effects of the latter on the former-in Japan. METHODS: Using prefecture-level longitudinal data from 2005 to 2016, we employed a fixed effects instrumental variable estimation. The estimation included a weighted average of the national unemployment rate across industries by industrial structures in 2005 as an instrument to identify the causal effects. RESULTS: The average local unemployment rate changed by approximately 50% from the peak to the bottom in the sample period. A 50% increase in local unemployment rates increased the number of reported child neglect cases and child deaths by 80% and 70% (statistically significant at the 5% level), respectively. Further, it increased cases of death due to external causes, unintentional injuries, and unintentional drowning by 146%, 217%, and 315% (statistically significant at the 5% level), respectively. CONCLUSION: The local unemployment rate is a risk factor for child maltreatment, resulting in children's death, especially as a result of unintentional drowning-the common cause of death due to child neglect. When the local unemployment rates rise, governments should allocate more financial and human resources for preventive measures to combat child deaths caused by neglect.

Child Neglect And Its Repercussions In Covid Era Child Neglect: Concept, Indian perspective and its repercussion in covid era

Neglect is one of the most common forms of child abuse, yet is different from other forms of abuse as it refers to omission or negligence in meeting the basic needs of the child. “Neglect of Neglect” is a universal problem that needs one step more attention than the ever soaring physical and sexual abuse. The wellbeing and security of children makes a fundamental part in developing a prosperous nation. Healthcare professionals and teachers play a key role in identifying the child abuse and neglect, and thereby provide an immediate and a long term support to the children. A search was done from pubmed and google scholar with key terms “child” “child neglect” “Covid” “child rights”. The purpose of the present article is to provide an overview of the child neglect from a medical to socio-legal perspective in India and its negligence amidst the Covid pandemic and to ensure a prompt comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to protect the neglected child.

Child maltreatment-related children's emergency department visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in Connecticut.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies of national emergency department (ED) data demonstrate a decrease in visits coded for physical abuse during the pandemic period. However, no study to date has examined the incidence of multiple child maltreatment types (physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect), within a single state while considering state-specific closure policies. Furthermore, no similar study has utilized detailed chart review to identify cases, nor compared hospital data to Child Protective Services (CPS) reports. OBJECTIVE: To determine the incidence of child maltreatment-related ED visits before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, including characterizing the type of maltreatment, severity, and CPS reporting. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Children younger than 18 years old at two tertiary-care, academic children's hospitals in X state. METHODS: Maltreatment-related ED visits were identified by ICD-10-CM codes and keywords in chief concerns and provider notes. We conducted a cross-sectional retrospective review of ED visits and child abuse consultations during the pre-COVID (1/1/2019-3/15/2020) and COVID (3/16/2020-8/31/2020) periods, as well as state-level CPS reports for suspected maltreatment. RESULTS: Maltreatment-related ED visits decreased from 15.7/week in the matched pre-COVID period (n = 380 total) to 12.3/week (n = 296 total) in the COVID period (P < .01). However, ED visits (P < .05) and CPS reports (P < .001) for child neglect increased during this period. Provider notes identified 62.4% of child maltreatment ED visits, while ICD-10 codes identified only-CM captured 46.8%. CONCLUSION: ED visits for physical and sexual abuse declined, but neglect cases increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in X state.

Evaluating child maltreatment and family violence risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Using a telehealth home visiting program as a conduit to families.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected many child maltreatment risk factors and may have affected maltreatment among vulnerable families. We surveyed 258 certified providers of an evidence-based home visiting program, SafeCare, about their perception of the impact of the pandemic on the families they serve. We examined if the providers perceived an overall change in child maltreatment and family violence risk among the families with young children they served and factors that may have contributed to changes. Regressions estimated the relationship between providers' assessment of families' ability to social distance, emotional struggles, and access to public resources/services with providers' perception of child maltreatment and family violence risk in the home. Findings indicate that 87% of providers believed maltreatment risk had increased during the pandemic. Providers serving families who were unable to social distance due to employment were more likely to report increased supervisory neglect and material neglect among the families they serve. Providers reporting that families were struggling with elevated frustration levels also reported more family conflict and material neglect among the families they serve. Results from this research can inform strategic decision-making for policies and programs that address the challenges low-income families with young children face in emergency situations.

La pandemia del COVID-19 ha afectado muchos factores de riesgo de maltrato del niño y pudiera haber afectado el maltrato en familias vulnerables. Les preguntamos en una encuesta a 258 proveedores certificados de un programa de visitas a casa con base en la evidencia, SafeCare®, acerca de sus percepciones del impacto de la pandemia en las familias a quienes les ofrecían el servicio. Examinamos si los proveedores percibían un cambio general en el maltrato del niño y el riesgo de violencia familiar en familias con niños pequeños a las que les servían y los factores que pudieran haber contribuido a los cambios. Las regresiones calcularon la relación entre la evaluación de los proveedores acerca de la habilidad de la familia para mantener la distancia social física, los problemas emocionales, así como el acceso a recursos y servicios públicos, con la percepción de los proveedores acerca del maltrato infantil y el riesgo de violencia familiar en la casa. Los resultados indican que el 87 por ciento de los proveedores creía que el riesgo de maltrato había aumentado durante la pandemia. Aquellos proveedores que les servían a familias que no podían mantener la distancia social física debido al empleo, estuvieron más propensas a reportar el aumento en la negligencia de supervisión y la negación de material en las familias a quienes les servían. Los proveedores que reportaron que las familias estaban luchando con elevados niveles de frustración también reportaron más conflicto familiar y negación de material en las familias a las que les servían. Los resultados de esta investigación pueden apoyar la toma de decisiones estratégica para políticas y programas que se enfoquen en los retos que enfrentan las familias de bajos recursos con niños pequeños en situaciones de emergencia.

La pandémie du COVID-19 a affecté bien des facteurs de risque de la maltraitance de l'enfant et peut avoir affecté la maltraitance chez les familles vulnérables. Nous avons questionné 258 prestataires certifiés d'un programme de visite à domicile fondé sur des données probantes, SafeCare®, sur leur perception de l'impact de la pandémie sur les familles qu'ils servent. Nous avons examiné si les prestataires ont perçu un changement général de la maltraitance de l'enfant et dans le risque de violence familiale au sein des familles avec les jeunes enfants qu'ils servaient et les facteurs qui ont pu contribuer à ces changements. Des régressions ont estimé la relation entre l'évaluation qu'ont fait les prestataires de la capacité des familles à assurer la distanciation sociale, des difficutés émotionnelles et de l'accès aux resources/services publiques avec la perception des prestataires de la maltraitance de l'enfant et du risque de violence familiale à la maison. Les résultats indiquent que 87 pourcent des prestataires pensaient que le risque de maltraitance avait augmenté durant la pandémie. Les prestataires servant les familles qui ne pouvaient pas assurer la distanciation sociale à cause de leur emploi étaient plus à même de faire état d'une négligence acrue de la supervision et de négligence matérielle chez les familles qu'ils servent. Les prestataires indiquant que les familles faisaient face à des difficultés avec des niveaux de frustration élevés ont aussi fait état de plus de conflit familial et de néglicence matérielle chez les familles qu'ils servent. Les résultats de ces recherches peuvent aider les prises de décision stratégiques pour les politiques et les programmes qui répondent aux défis des familles défavorisées avec de jeunes enfants dans des situations d'urgence.

COVID-19 patient care predicts nurses' parental burnout and child abuse: Mediating effects of compassion fatigue.

BACKGROUND: Nurses who are also parents may be at risk not only for professional compassion fatigue, but also parental burnout - a reliable and valid predictor of child abuse and neglect. In support, recent research reveals that parents' COVID-19 related stressors predicted elevated potential for child abuse (Katz and Fallon, 2021). OBJECTIVE: We explored the harmful effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on nurses' parental burnout, child abuse, and child neglect, as mediated by compassion fatigue (i.e., a combination of job burnout and secondary traumatic stress). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were 244 nurses (M age = 32.4; 87% female) who were parents of young children (age 12 or under) recruited via chain referral sampling. METHODS: Participants completed an anonymous survey assessing the extent to which they care for COVID-19 patients, are exposed to patients suffering and dying from COVID-19, and have lost family income due to COVID-19. We also measured their compassion fatigue, compassion satisfaction, substance abuse, spouse conflict, parental burnout, child abuse, and child neglect. RESULTS: As hypothesized, direct care of COVID-19 patients, exposure to patient death and suffering due to COVID-19, and family income loss due to COVID-19 predicted greater compassion fatigue, which in turn, predicted greater parental burnout, child abuse, child neglect, spouse conflict, and substance abuse, (IEs ≥ 0.06, all ps < 0.05). Also, as compassion satisfaction increased, parental burnout, child abuse, child neglect, spouse conflict, and substance abuse decreased, rs ≥ -0.203, ps < 0.01. CONCLUSIONS: Theoretical implications and practical implications for medical practice and child abuse prevention are discussed.

The effect of child neglect and abuse information studies on parents' awareness levels during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The research was conducted in order to increase the knowledge and awareness of parents with children between the ages of 4-6 during the COVID-19 pandemic process, through social media applications and programs. The research was designed as a quasi-experimental study with pre-testing, post-testing, and control groups using a quantitative research method. There are 67 parents in the study group, 32 of which are experimental, and 35 are of a controlled group. Data was obtained using The Personal Information Form, Child Neglect and Abuse Awareness Scale for Parents, and Parental Abuse Scale. The "Child Neglect and Abuse WhatsApp and Online Education Program" was applied to the participants in the experimental group. Each day, three messages were sent to the participants in the experimental group on the subjects of child neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse, respectively. In addition, online training was given on the same subjects and in the same order in four sessions over the Zoom application. The participants in the control group did not receive any intervention. Before and after the implementation of the Child Neglect and Abuse WhatsApp and Online Education Program, data collection tools were given to the participants in the experimental and control groups. Paired samples t Test, Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test were used to analyze the data. As a result of the study, there was no statistically significant difference between the pre-test scores and the post test scores of the parents in the control group. When the differences between the pre and post test scores of the parents in the experimental group and the pre and post tests scores of the parents in the experimental and control groups were compared, it was observed that there was a significant difference in favor of the experimental group. In line with this result, it can be said that the education applied has had an impact on the parents' knowledge and awareness of child neglect and abuse.

Home, but Left Alone: Time at Home and Child Abuse and Neglect During COVID-19.

We use high-frequency mobile phone movement data and quick-release administrative data from Georgia to examine how time at home during the COVID-19 pandemic is related to child maltreatment referrals. Findings show that referrals plummeted by 58% relative to previous years, driven by fewer referrals from education personnel. After this initial decline, however, each 15 minutes at home was associated with an increase in referrals of material neglect by 3.5% and supervisory neglect by 1%. Our results describe how children have fared during the initial wave of the pandemic, and the results have long-term implications for child development and well-being.

Pediatric emergency department visits due to child abuse and neglect following COVID-19 public health emergency declaration in the Southeastern United States.

BACKGROUND: The ongoing worldwide COVID-19 pandemic has heightened several risk factors  for child abuse and neglect (CAN). We study whether COVID-19 and the public health response to it affected CAN-related pediatric emergency department (ED) visits in the southeastern United States (US). METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review on medical records of ED visits from a level I pediatric hospital system serving one of the largest metropolitan areas in the southeastern US from January through June 2018-2020. We used multivariate Poisson regression and linear regression to compare professionally identified CAN-related ED visits before and after a COVID-19 public health emergency declaration in 2020, relative to trends over the same period in 2018 and 2019. RESULTS: Although the number of both overall pediatric ED visits and CAN-related ED visits declined, the number of CAN-related ED visits due to neglect from inadequate adult supervision increased by 62 % (p < 0.01). The number of CAN visits per 1,000 pediatric ED visits also increased by 97 % (p < 0.01). Finally, the proportion of CAN-related ED visits due to neglect from inadequate supervision increased by 100 % (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Physicians should be aware that patients who present with injuries during a pandemic may be victims of neglect due to changes in social structures in their households. In particular, maltreatment presenting to the ED shifted toward treating injuries and abuse resulting from inadequate supervision. Policymakers should consider the impacts of stay-at-home orders on child well-being when determining appropriate public health responses in the midst of a pandemic. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Not applicable.

Child Abuse and Neglect and the Burden of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Families: A Series of Cases Consulted at the German Medical Child Protection Hotline.

Increased stress and decreased resources during a lockdown and social distancing can augment the risk for child abuse and neglect during the COVID-19 pandemic.Health practitioners should continue to be prepared for potentially rising numbers of cases of child abuse and neglect.Child protection services and mental health care should be considered essential and be available for adults and children at all times.

Material hardship and child neglect risk amidst COVID-19 in grandparent-headed kinship families: The role of financial assistance.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has exacerbated material hardship among grandparent-headed kinship families. Grandparent-headed kinship families receive financial assistance, which may mitigate material hardship and reduce child neglect risk. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to examine (1) the association between material hardship and child neglect risk; and (2) whether financial assistance moderates this association in a sample of kinship grandparent-headed families during COVID-19. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Cross-sectional survey data were collected from a convenience sample of grandparent-headed kinship families (not necessarily child welfare involved) (N = 362) in the United States via Qualtrics Panels online survey. METHODS: Descriptive, bivariate, and negative binomial regression were conducted using STATA 15.0. RESULTS: Experiencing material hardship was found to be associated with an increased risk of child neglect, and receiving financial assistance was associated with a decreased risk of child neglect in the full sample and a subsample with household income > $30,000. Receiving financial assistance buffered the negative effect of material hardship on child neglect risk across analytic samples, and receiving SNAP was a significant moderator in the full sample. Among families with a household income ≤ $30,000, receiving SNAP and foster care payments was associated with a decreased risk of child neglect, while receiving TANF and unemployment insurance was associated with an increased risk of child neglect. Among families with household income > $30,000, only receiving SNAP was associated with a decreased risk of child neglect. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests the potential importance of providing concrete financial assistance, particularly SNAP and foster care payments, to grandparent-headed kinship families in efforts to decrease child neglect risk during COVID-19.

Families in the COVID-19 pandemic: parental stress, parent mental health and the occurrence of adverse childhood experiences-results of a representative survey in Germany.

Parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic is highly challenging, with parents having to meet various demands simultaneously. An increase in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been widely predicted, but empirical evidence is still scarce. This study aimed to (1) generate representative data on pandemic-related stress, parental stress, general stress, parental subjective and mental health, and the occurrence of ACEs; (2) identify risk factors for an increase in ACEs, and (3) provide qualitative data on parents' experiences. A representative survey was conducted in Germany in August 2020 with 1024 parents of underage children (Mage = 41.70, 50.9% female). More than 50% of parents reported being stressed by social distancing and the closure of schools and childcare facilities. Parental stress increased significantly during the pandemic (d = 0.21). Subgroups of parents also reported very high levels of depressive symptoms (12.3%) and anxiety (9.7%). Up to one-third of the sample reported ACEs in the child's lifetime. In this group, 29.1% reported an increase in children witnessing domestic violence during the pandemic, and 42.2% an increase verbal emotional abuse. These families were characterized by higher parental stress, job losses, and younger parent and child age. Positive aspects of the pandemic related primarily to personal or family life (e.g. slower pace of life, increase in family time). While some parents coped well, a particularly negative pattern was observed in a subgroup of families that experienced an increase in ACEs. Parental stress emerged as important target point for interventions addressing the negative sequelae of the pandemic.

Parental Social Isolation and Child Maltreatment Risk during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

On March 11, 2020, COVID-19 was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The social isolation and economic stress resulting from pandemic have the potential to exacerbate child abuse and neglect. This study examines the association of parents' perceived social isolation and recent employment loss to risk for child maltreatment (neglect, verbal aggression, and physical punishment) in the early weeks of the pandemic. Participants (N = 283) were adults living in the U.S. who were parents of at least one child 0-12 years of age. Participants completed an online survey approximately 2 weeks after the World Health Organization declared that COVID-19 was a pandemic. The survey asked about recent changes (i.e., in the past 2 weeks) to employment status, parenting behaviors, use of discipline, use of spanking, and depressive symptoms. Nearly 20% of parents had hit or spanked their child in the past two weeks alone. Parents' perceived social isolation and recent employment loss were associated with self-report of physical and emotional neglect and verbal aggression against the child, even after controlling for parental depressive symptoms, income, and sociodemographic factors. Parents' perceived social isolation was associated with parental report of changes in discipline, specifically, using discipline and spanking more often in the past 2 weeks. Associations were robust to analyses that included two variables that assessed days spent social distancing and days spent in "lockdown." Study results point to the need for mental health supports to parents and children to ameliorate the strain created by COVID-19.

How societal responses to COVID-19 could contribute to child neglect.

BACKGROUND: The ecosystemic approach to children's needs demands a cohesive response from societies, communities, and families. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the choices societies made to protect their community members from the virus could have created contexts of child neglect. With the closure of services and institutions, societies were no longer available to help meet the needs of children. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to examine parents' reports on the response their children received to their needs during the COVID-19 crisis. METHODS: During the period of the spring 2020 lockdown, 414 parents in the province of Quebec, Canada, completed an online questionnaire about the impact of the crisis on the response their children received to their needs. RESULTS: Compared to parents of younger children, parents of older children reported less fulfillment of their child's needs in three measured domains, namely cognitive and affective, security, and basic care needs. CONCLUSION: These results are discussed in light of the policies and the resources societies have put in place during the crisis to help families meet the needs of their children. Societies must learn from this crisis to put children at the top of their priorities in the face of a societal crisis. Thoughtful discussions and energy must be given to ensure that, while facing a crisis, the developmental trajectories of children are not sacrificed.