An odyssey of discovery: Lessons learned through three decades of
research on child maltreatment
How
research on child maltreatment has informed the study of development: Perspectives on developmental psychopathology
Cicchetti D. «An Odyssey of Discovery: Lessons Learned through Three Decades of
Research on Child Maltreatment», American Psychologist (Nov. 2004): Vol.
Research on child maltreatment has increased over the past 15 years and meta - analyses and reviews of the literature on the effectiveness of home visiting programs to prevent child maltreatment exist.10, 11,12 However, until recently there was not a wide ranging systematic review of the evidence on home visiting.7, 13,14,15,16 An effort launched in 2009 by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness (HomVEE), filled this gap by providing a systematic review of the early childhood home visiting research with particular attention to its applicability to the prevention of child maltreatment.
Theodore, A. D. Y Runyan, D. K. (1999) Current
research on child maltreatment: negotiation the next steps, Pediatrics, 104 (1), pp. 168 - 177
Not exact matches
To date,
research on the consequences of
child maltreatment has focused
on mental health, linking abuse to depression, low self - esteem, suicide ideation, and self - harm.
In addition, he is the Senior Fellow of the ChildTrauma Academy (www.ChildTrauma.org), a Houston - based organization dedicated to
research and education
on child maltreatment.
In many instances, the quality of the
research is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the effects of a given model
on child maltreatment.8
Given the limited rigorous
research evidence
on home visiting's effectiveness to prevent
child maltreatment, one potential impact of using an approach like Home Visiting Evidence of Effectiveness, which attaches state funding to the quality of the evidence, may be to increase the amount and quality of the
child maltreatment prevention
research conducted globally.
Meta - analyses of this expanded
research base confirm the model's impacts
on a range of risk and protective factors associated with
child maltreatment.7, 8,9 In addition, all of the major home visitation models in the U.S. are currently engaged in a variety of
research activities, many of which are resulting in better defined models and more rigorous attention to the key issue of participant enrolment and retention, staff training and quality assurance standards.10 For example, recent findings emerging from the initial two - year follow - up of the Early Head Start National Demonstration Project confirm the efficacy of home visitation programs with new parents.
Overall, the
research on home visiting to prevent
child maltreatment could be improved with use of rigorous methods, appropriate measures, longer follow - up periods, and inclusion of and reporting
on important subgroups.
In general, the
research shows that home visiting programs have the greatest, albeit still modest, effect
on parents» support for
children's learning and in reducing the prevalence of
child maltreatment, but that these effects are strongest for the most disadvantaged program participants.
While there is a growing appreciation of the impact of
child maltreatment on cardiovascular disease risk over the life course, 40 there has been a paucity of
research to date that has explored the impact of family violence
on obesity risk in early life.
Although
on - the - point
research is lacking about the
child maltreatment risk for parents of
children with aggressive behavior who themselves come from families with delinquent behavior, a strong association seems plausible.
Third, we focused our analyses
on childhood socioeconomic disadvantage,
maltreatment, and social isolation because previous
research suggested a link between these measures and age - related disease.24, 31,33 However,
children may be exposed to other significant adverse experiences, and
research is needed to uncover them.
In many instances, the quality of the
research is not sufficient to draw conclusions about the effects of a given model
on child maltreatment.8
Based
on prior
research suggesting that distinctions between allegations and substantiations are not useful, 31,32 official reports of alleged
child abuse were coded using a slightly modified version33 of the
maltreatment classification scheme developed by Barnett et al. 34 Three general indicators of
child abuse were created, each dichotomized as present or not, based
on the coding of the following records: (1) physical abuse (any blows or injury to the head, torso, buttocks, or limbs; and violent handling, choking, burning, shaking, or nondescript injury); (2) sexual abuse (any sexual exposure, exploitation, molestation, or penetration); and (3) psychological
maltreatment (threats to psychological safety and security, lack of acceptance and threats to self - esteem, or failure to allow age - appropriate autonomy).
Respite and Crisis Care (PDF - 101 KB) FRIENDS National Resource Center for Community - Based
Child Abuse Prevention (2007) Describes the components and benefits of respite programs, characteristics of families that need respite services, and research on the effectiveness of respite programs in reducing the incidence of child maltreat
Child Abuse Prevention (2007) Describes the components and benefits of respite programs, characteristics of families that need respite services, and
research on the effectiveness of respite programs in reducing the incidence of
child maltreat
child maltreatment.
Overall, the
research on home visiting to prevent
child maltreatment could be improved with use of rigorous methods, appropriate measures, longer follow - up periods, and inclusion of and reporting
on important subgroups.
In general, the
research shows that home visiting programs have the greatest, albeit modest, effect
on parents» support for
children's learning and in reducing the prevalence of
child maltreatment, but that these effects are strongest for the most disadvantaged program participants.
Given the high prevalence of
child maltreatment and the serious consequences in terms of its impact
on the lives of the individuals concerned, their families, and society more generally, it is important that we identify effective methods of prevention and intervention, and there are some suggestions that a public health approach is now needed.27 Although there is limited
research available in terms of what works to prevent
child maltreatment, there have been significant gains over the past 20 years in terms of the development of new approaches.
Research suggests that
children in households with domestic violence may be at an increased risk for
child maltreatment.13 - 16 Although some
child maltreatment may be caused directly by the male perpetrators of domestic violence, other incidents may result from the effects of domestic violence
on the mothers» caregiving capacities (eg, through injury, mental distress, and restricted mobility).
Although the
research on resilience in foster
children specifically is sorely lacking, studies of maltreated
children suggest that maltreated
children who exhibit resilience have high cognitive competence, self - esteem, and ego control (including flexibility, planfulness, persistence, and reflection).30 Thus, foster
children, who have an increased likelihood of experiencing multiple risk factors such as poverty,
maltreatment, and separation from family of origin, may have more positive outcomes if they are fortunate enough to also experience protective factors.
Home - Based Intervention for High - Risk Rural Families: A Randomized Clinical Trial Lwin (2012) McGill University, School of Social Work, Centre for
Research on Children and Families, Canadian
Child Welfare Research Portal View Abstract Illustrates the effectiveness of using a home - based child maltreatment prevention program for families in rural communities struggling with substance use, intimate partner violence, and depression, factors that increase the risk of child abuse and neg
Child Welfare
Research Portal View Abstract Illustrates the effectiveness of using a home - based
child maltreatment prevention program for families in rural communities struggling with substance use, intimate partner violence, and depression, factors that increase the risk of child abuse and neg
child maltreatment prevention program for families in rural communities struggling with substance use, intimate partner violence, and depression, factors that increase the risk of
child abuse and neg
child abuse and neglect.
The purpose of this paper is to provide a synopsis of the recent published
research from 2006 to 2010
on the association between
child maltreatment and Axis I mental disorders and suicidal ideation and attempts.
This article discusses the importance of safety and stability to healthy
child development and reviews the
research on the risks associated with
maltreatment and the foster care experience.
Longitudinal Studies of
Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) Provides information on the LONGSCAN consortium of research studies on the etiology and impact of child maltreat
Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) Provides information
on the LONGSCAN consortium of
research studies
on the etiology and impact of
child maltreat
child maltreatment.
Find statistics
on child fatalities due to
child maltreatment, as well as
research on risk factors and perpetrator characteristics.
Virginia
Child Protection Newsletter, 87, 2010 Synthesizes recent research on the impact of child maltreatment on numerous medical, social, and behavioral outc
Child Protection Newsletter, 87, 2010 Synthesizes recent
research on the impact of
child maltreatment on numerous medical, social, and behavioral outc
child maltreatment on numerous medical, social, and behavioral outcomes.
Child maltreatment: Theory and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and neg
Child maltreatment: Theory and
research on the causes and consequences of
child abuse and neg
child abuse and neglect.
Research on resilience to
child maltreatment: Empirical considerations.
Find factsheets, reference books, and
research on definitions, signs, and symptoms of different types of
child maltreatment.
Whitaker's
research has focused
on child maltreatment and intimate partner violence prevention, as well as implementation of evidence - based interventions.
Her
research focuses
on maltreatment of infants and toddlers; early care and education for foster
children; and racial / ethnic disparities in
child welfare involvement.
Dr. Niec conducts basic and applied
research on play,
child maltreatment, and parent -
child interaction therapy.
She is currently working
on the implementation
research and impact analyses for the Mother and Infant Home Visiting Program Evaluation (MIHOPE), a large - scale national evaluation of home visiting programs that intend to prevent
child maltreatment and improve maternal and
child health, parenting skills, and
child development outcomes.
The
research represents one of the largest studies in the U.S. conducted to investigate the impact of home visiting
on child maltreatment, including nearly 8,000 families.
Research overwhelmingly points to the benefits of supporting
children and families at an early age to prevent
maltreatment and its negative effects
on brain development before they occur.
«As home visiting programs go to scale, states should consider replicating this study using their administrative data and appropriate statistical methods to create a robust comparison group capable of generating rigorous findings regarding the effects of early intervention efforts
on child maltreatment rates,» said Dr. Deborah Daro, Senior
Research Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago.
to maintain our reviews of global
research on all aspects of the social, emotional and healthy development of
children, inter-personal violence and
child maltreatment
VPO major functions are: (a) Coordination of the development, implementation, and evaluation of two major programs: the ACT / Raising Safe Kids Program (parenting skills training and
child maltreatment prevention program) and The Effective Providers for Child Victims of Violence Program (training for mental health and other professionals on trauma, assessment tools and treatment models for children victimized by violence); (b) Development of training and educational materials, technical assistance and training to professionals and organizations participating in both programs; (c) Dissemination of research - based knowledge, information, and materials to professionals and the general public on violence, prevention and related topics through Web (www.actagainstviolence.apa.org), Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ACTRaisingSafeKids and other social media outlets; (d) Collaboration with other national associations, national collaboratives, and federal agencies to promote the contributions of psychology and psychologists to the understanding and prevention of viol
child maltreatment prevention program) and The Effective Providers for
Child Victims of Violence Program (training for mental health and other professionals on trauma, assessment tools and treatment models for children victimized by violence); (b) Development of training and educational materials, technical assistance and training to professionals and organizations participating in both programs; (c) Dissemination of research - based knowledge, information, and materials to professionals and the general public on violence, prevention and related topics through Web (www.actagainstviolence.apa.org), Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ACTRaisingSafeKids and other social media outlets; (d) Collaboration with other national associations, national collaboratives, and federal agencies to promote the contributions of psychology and psychologists to the understanding and prevention of viol
Child Victims of Violence Program (training for mental health and other professionals
on trauma, assessment tools and treatment models for
children victimized by violence); (b) Development of training and educational materials, technical assistance and training to professionals and organizations participating in both programs; (c) Dissemination of
research - based knowledge, information, and materials to professionals and the general public
on violence, prevention and related topics through Web (www.actagainstviolence.apa.org), Facebook page www.Facebook.com/ACTRaisingSafeKids and other social media outlets; (d) Collaboration with other national associations, national collaboratives, and federal agencies to promote the contributions of psychology and psychologists to the understanding and prevention of violence.
Child maltreatment: theories and research on the causes and consequences of child abuse and ne
Child maltreatment: theories and
research on the causes and consequences of
child abuse and ne
child abuse and neglect
Child Maltreatment answers the urgent need for an interdisciplinary forum disseminating original research, information and technical innovations on child abuse and neg
Child Maltreatment answers the urgent need for an interdisciplinary forum disseminating original
research, information and technical innovations
on child abuse and neg
child abuse and neglect.
There is a consensus that the priority for further
research on shared parenting should focus
on the intersection of
child custody and family violence, including
child maltreatment in all its forms, including parental alienation.
There is a consensus that the priority for further
research on shared parenting should focus
on the intersection of
child custody and family violence, including
child maltreatment in all its forms.
Throughout the course of her undergraduate and graduate education, Ms. Lowell's
research and clin - ical work has focused primarily
on child Parents who demonstrate
maltreatment prevention and intervention a high degree of reflective in high - risk populations.
Developmental Traumatology, the systematic investigation of the psychiatric and psychobiological impact of overwhelming and chronic interpersonal violence (
maltreatment in childhood)
on the developing
child, is a relatively new area of study that synthesizes knowledge from an array of scientific fields including: developmental psychopathology, developmental neuroscience, and stress and trauma
research.
His efforts resulted in the establishment of Trauma Center, that consist of a well - trained clinical team specializing in the treatment of
children and adults with histories of
child maltreatment, that applies treatment models that are widely taught and implemented nationwide, a
research lab that studies the effects of neurofeedback and MDMA
on behavior, mood, and executive functioning, and numerous trainings nationwide to a variety of mental health professional, educators, parent groups, policy makers, and law enforcement personnel.
Synthesis of
Research on Disproportionality in
Child Welfare: An Update (PDF - 535 KB) Casey Family Programs (2006) Explores child maltreatment and disproportionality, the role race plays at various decision - making stages in child welfare, the extent of racially disparate treatment in child welfare, and how other social systems contribute to disproportionality in child wel
Child Welfare: An Update (PDF - 535 KB) Casey Family Programs (2006) Explores
child maltreatment and disproportionality, the role race plays at various decision - making stages in child welfare, the extent of racially disparate treatment in child welfare, and how other social systems contribute to disproportionality in child wel
child maltreatment and disproportionality, the role race plays at various decision - making stages in
child welfare, the extent of racially disparate treatment in child welfare, and how other social systems contribute to disproportionality in child wel
child welfare, the extent of racially disparate treatment in
child welfare, and how other social systems contribute to disproportionality in child wel
child welfare, and how other social systems contribute to disproportionality in
child wel
child welfare.
Previous
research has investigated the deleterious effects of
child maltreatment on child development; however, little
research has examined the development of
children who live with caregivers who are at risk of
maltreatment on child development outcomes.