Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
2.0
2.4
Journals
Children
Special Issues
Research on Child Trauma and Protection
share announcement

Research on Child Trauma and Protection

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Child and Adolescent Psychiatry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 February 2024) | Viewed by 18186

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Brian Littlechild

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Allied Health Professionals, Midwifery and Social Work, School of Health and Social Wo, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK
Interests: qualitative research; mixed methods research, ethics, cultural and ethnicity issues; child protection; mental health; trauma informed services; adolescents, youth offending; interpersonal violence

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the causes and effects of trauma in relation to children’s well-being have become an increasing feature of concern and development for academics and professionals in the field of work with children and young people in child protection work. 

With increasing knowledge of the effects of trauma in terms of emotional well-being, relationships, education, employment, and life opportunities, this Special Edition will examine what we mean by trauma, and how research and developments in the field examine and inform the different aspects of the development of children which can have negative lifelong effects or, conversely, promote resilience. 

Submissions in relation to psychological, social, and physiological effects of different forms of child abuse and neglect which will advance knowledge about and/or the best means of investigation into these areas in this area are welcome. 

We welcome submissions that also address traumas arising from child abuse in relation to equality and diversity, such as gender, LGBTQ+, culture and ethnicity, and disability. 

Examination of the subsequent effects of trauma from childhood abuse on adults, in terms of mental health, social functioning, parenting, and other related factors are also encouraged. 

This could be the reporting of original research, systematic and narrative reviews, or pieces on how particular and/or novel research methodologies and methods can help to make advances in this field. 

This Special Edition will invite submissions which advance the ways in which professionals and academics can best understand the experiences of children who experience trauma in the many different ways this can be created and exhibited, in order to better protect their health and well-being from birth through to adulthood.

Prof. Dr. Brian Littlechild
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • child abuse and neglect
  • causes of trauma for children
  • effects of trauma for children
  • effects of childhood trauma in adulthood
  • evidence-based application of knowledge for the prevention and treatment of trauma
  • effective and/or novel methods of inquiry and research into the causes and effects of trauma in children

Published Papers (6 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review, Other

16 pages, 1908 KiB  
Article
Why Are Child and Youth Welfare Support Services Initiated? A First-Time Analysis of Administrative Data on Child and Youth Welfare Services in Austria
by Katja Haider, Stefan Kaltschik, Manuela Amon and Christoph Pieh
Children 2023, 10(8), 1376; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10081376 - 11 Aug 2023
Viewed by 904
Abstract
Even if numerous children and young people are looked after by child and youth welfare, there are only a few scientific studies on the reasons for this support. The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to examine the reasons why child and [...] Read more.
Even if numerous children and young people are looked after by child and youth welfare, there are only a few scientific studies on the reasons for this support. The aim of this retrospective descriptive study was to examine the reasons why child and youth welfare was initiated. Therefore, administrative data, collected by the Lower Austrian Child and Youth Welfare Service, from the year 2021 will be presented. On the one hand, the frequencies of the different justifications provided by the social workers and, on the other hand, whether these are primarily based on problems of the parents/caregivers or the children are reported. In 2021, a total of 7760 clarifications of child welfare endangerments were initiated. The descriptive statistical analyses showed that the most frequent concerns were parental overload (49%), behavioral issues (10%), and difficult economic conditions (9%). Although a classification according to the caregiver or child level cannot always be clearly distinguished, there is a trend that in many cases (84% to 99% depending on the type of support) the problems lie at the caregiver level. Further studies are necessary so that the care of such vulnerable groups of people will be better supported by scientific findings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

10 pages, 583 KiB  
Communication
Child Abuse, Misdiagnosed by an Expertise Center: Part I—Medico-Social Aspects
by Marianne Vlaming, Pieter J. J. Sauer, Emile P. F. Janssen, Peter J. van Koppen, Cornelis M. A. Bruijninckx, Marga W. M. Akkerman-Zaalberg van Zelst, H. A. Martino Neumann and Martin J. C. van Gemert
Children 2023, 10(6), 963; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060963 - 29 May 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2049
Abstract
Child abuse is a dangerous situation for an infant. Professionals need to weigh the risk of failing to act when children are seriously harmed against the serious harm done by carrying out safeguarding interventions. In severe cases, foster care might be advisable. The [...] Read more.
Child abuse is a dangerous situation for an infant. Professionals need to weigh the risk of failing to act when children are seriously harmed against the serious harm done by carrying out safeguarding interventions. In severe cases, foster care might be advisable. The negative effects for the child’s psychosocial development requires that such placement must be based on very solid evidence. Our aim is to identify why Dutch parents whose child may have a medical condition that could mimic symptoms of child abuse have a significant chance of being erroneously convicted and losing custody of their child. As a method, we describe and analyze the following case. An Armenian-Dutch newborn (uncomplicated term vaginal delivery), starting at two weeks after birth, developed small bruises on varying body locations. At two months, a Well-Baby Clinic physician referred the girl to a university hospital, mentioning that there were no reasons to suspect child abuse and that her Armenian grandmother easily bruised as well. However, before consultation by a pediatrician of the hospital-located Expertise Center for Child Abuse, the parents were suspected of child abuse. Based on the expertise center’s protocols, skeletal X-rays were made, which showed three healed, asymptomatic rib fractures, while invalid statistics suggested, incorrectly, a 10–100 times more likely non-accidental than accidental cause of the symptoms (discussed in Part II of this series). The expertise enter physician ignored any argument that could show parental innocence, including the positive parent-child relationship reported by the Well-Baby Clinic and the general practitioner. The girl and her older brother were placed in a family foster home and then in a secret home. The case radically resolved when a large bruise also developed there, and an independent tissue disease specialist diagnosed a hereditary connective tissue disorder in the mother, implying that the girl’s bruises and rib fractures could well be disease-related. In conclusion, if child abuse is suspected, and foster care placement considered, the patient and the parents should be thoroughly investigated by an independent experienced pediatrician together with an experienced pediatric clinical psychologist or psychotherapist to produce an independent opinion. Children deserve this extra safeguard before being separated from their parents. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

11 pages, 259 KiB  
Article
Trauma-Focused Tuning in to Kids: Evaluation in a Clinical Service
by Sophie S. Havighurst, Jessica L. Murphy and Christiane E. Kehoe
Children 2021, 8(11), 1038; https://doi.org/10.3390/children8111038 - 11 Nov 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3377
Abstract
This study evaluated the Tuning in to Kids (TIK) parenting program delivered in a clinical setting with 77 parents and caregivers (hereafter referred to as “parents”) of children who had experienced complex trauma. The TIK program targets parent emotion socialization to improve children’s [...] Read more.
This study evaluated the Tuning in to Kids (TIK) parenting program delivered in a clinical setting with 77 parents and caregivers (hereafter referred to as “parents”) of children who had experienced complex trauma. The TIK program targets parent emotion socialization to improve children’s emotional and behavioral functioning. The study utilized a single-group design with pre- and post-intervention measures. Seventy-seven parents of children (aged 3–15 years) who had experienced complex trauma completed a ten-week version of the Trauma-Focused Tuning in to Kids program (TF-TIK). Measures examined parent reports of: emotion socialization; parent-child relationship; parent mental health; children’s emotional and behavioral functioning. Parents reported significantly improved emotion socialization, parent-child relationship, parent mental health, as well as child emotion regulation and behavior. This study provides initial support for the use of the TF-TIK parenting program in a clinical setting with parents of children who have experienced complex trauma in order to prevent or reduce problems. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)

Review

Jump to: Research, Other

15 pages, 2505 KiB  
Review
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Unaccompanied Refugee Minors: Prevalence, Contributing and Protective Factors, and Effective Interventions: A Scoping Review
by Charles Oberg and Hayley Sharma
Children 2023, 10(6), 941; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10060941 - 26 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2448
Abstract
In 2021, there were close to 37 million children displaced worldwide. There were 13.7 million refugees and an additional 22.8 million internally displaced. In Europe, this included 23,255 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, up 72% compared with 2020 (13,550). The objective was to review [...] Read more.
In 2021, there were close to 37 million children displaced worldwide. There were 13.7 million refugees and an additional 22.8 million internally displaced. In Europe, this included 23,255 unaccompanied minors seeking asylum, up 72% compared with 2020 (13,550). The objective was to review the current literature regarding PTSD in unaccompanied refugee minors (URM). The authors searched Ovid Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Library from 1 January 2008 through 15 January 2019. Thirty full texts were chosen that specifically studied unaccompanied refugee minors (URM). The results showed that URM had a prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD of 17–85% across the studies reviewed. There were numerous factors that contributed to PTSD, including cumulative stress and trauma, guilt, shame, and uncertainty about legal status. Protective factors included resilience, a trusted mentor, belonging to a social network, religion, having an adult mentor, and having a family (even if far away). Immigrant youth can thrive most easily in multiculturally affirming countries. Five interventions demonstrated effectiveness, comprising trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy (TF-CBT); “Mein Weg”, a TF-CBT combined with a group-processing mixed therapy approach; teaching recovery techniques (TRT), narrative exposure therapy for children (KIDNET), and expressive arts intervention (EXIT). The significant mental health conditions include depression, anxiety, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and frequently PTSD. It is fair to conclude that the high levels of mental health problems experienced in URM are due to exposure to traumatic experiences, separation from parents, and lack of social support. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

15 pages, 303 KiB  
Review
The Association between School Corporal Punishment and Child Developmental Outcomes: A Meta-Analytic Review
by Lotte N. Visser, Claudia E. van der Put and Mark Assink
Children 2022, 9(3), 383; https://doi.org/10.3390/children9030383 - 9 Mar 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 6498
Abstract
School corporal punishment (SCP) is still widely used in many countries. Although primary studies have pointed toward detrimental effects of SCP, a quantitative review of these studies was not yet available. To gain better insight into effects of SCP, three meta-analyses were conducted [...] Read more.
School corporal punishment (SCP) is still widely used in many countries. Although primary studies have pointed toward detrimental effects of SCP, a quantitative review of these studies was not yet available. To gain better insight into effects of SCP, three meta-analyses were conducted on the association between SCP and children’s (1) externalizing behavior, (2) internalizing behavior, and (3) school performance. These meta-analyses synthesized 21 studies (120 effect sizes; N = 67,400), 14 studies (18 effect sizes; N = 39,917), and 20 studies (47 effect sizes; N = 977,367), respectively. Studies were synthesized using a three-level approach to meta-analysis. The results revealed that SCP is positively associated with externalizing behavior (r = 0.27, p < 0.001) and internalizing behavior of children (r = 0.16, p < 0.001), and negatively with children’s school performance (r = −0.11, p < 0.001). This review concludes that SCP is a risk factor for externalizing behavior, internalizing behavior, and reduced school performance of children. Other techniques than SCP should be used for class management, and we recommend psychoeducational programs for schools and the wider community in which corporal punishment is still used. These programs should convey the detrimental effects of SCP and alternative discipline techniques. More awareness of the detrimental effects of SCP is needed to make the school environment a safe place for all children across the world. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

11 pages, 276 KiB  
Case Report
Child Abuse, Misdiagnosed by an Expertise Center—Part II—Misuse of Bayes’ Theorem
by Martin J. C. van Gemert, Aeilko H. Zwinderman, Peter J. van Koppen, H. A. Martino Neumann and Marianne Vlaming
Children 2023, 10(5), 843; https://doi.org/10.3390/children10050843 - 6 May 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 2095
Abstract
A newborn girl had, from two weeks on, small bruises on varying body locations, but not on her chest. Her Armenian grandmother easily bruised, too. Her mother was diagnosed with hypermobility-type Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome (hEDS), an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder, with a 50% inheritance [...] Read more.
A newborn girl had, from two weeks on, small bruises on varying body locations, but not on her chest. Her Armenian grandmother easily bruised, too. Her mother was diagnosed with hypermobility-type Ehlers-Danlos-Syndrome (hEDS), an autosomal dominant connective tissue disorder, with a 50% inheritance probability. Referral to a University Medical Center located “Dutch Expertise Center for Child Abuse” resulted (prior to consultation) in physical abuse suspicion. Protocol-based skeletal X-rays showed three healed, asymptomatic rib fractures. A protocol-based Bayesian likelihood ratio guesstimation gave 10–100, erroneously used to suggest a 10–100 times likelier non-accidental-than-accidental cause. Foster care placement followed, even in a secret home, where she also bruised, suggesting hEDS inheritance. Correct non-accidental/accidental Bayes’ probability of symptoms is (likelihood ratio) × (physical abuse incidence). From the literature, we derived an infant abuse incidence between about ≈0.0009 and ≈0.0026 and a likelihood ratio of <5 for bruises. For rib fractures, we used a zero likelihood ratio, arguing their cause was birth trauma from the extra delivery pressure on the chest, combined with fragile bones as the daughter of an hEDS-mother. We thus derived a negligible abuse/accidental probability between <5 × 0.0009 <0.005 and <5 × 0.0026 <0.013. The small abuse incidence implies that correctly using Bayes’ theorem will also miss true infant physical abuse cases. Curiously, because likelihood ratios assess how more often symptoms develop if abuse did occur versus non-abuse, Bayes’ theorem then implies a 100% infant abuse incidence (unwittingly) used by LECK. In conclusion, probabilities should never replace differential diagnostic procedures, the accepted medical method of care. Well-known from literature, supported by the present case, is that (child abuse pediatrics) physicians, child protection workers, and judges were unlikely to understand Bayesian statistics. Its use without statistics consultation should therefore not have occurred. Thus, Bayesian statistics, and certainly (misused) likelihood ratios, should never be applied in cases of physical child abuse suspicion. Finally, parental innocence follows from clarifying what could have caused the girl’s bruises (inherited hEDS), and rib fractures (birth trauma from fragile bones). Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Child Trauma and Protection)
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-6
Back to TopTop