Child Maltreatment and Trauma: Prevention, Intervention, and Innovations

A special issue of Children (ISSN 2227-9067). This special issue belongs to the section "Global Pediatric Health".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 September 2020) | Viewed by 5245

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA 95521, USA
Interests: child abuse prevention; parent–child attachment; parenting interventions; program evaluation; developmental psychopathology; global child welfare; neurobiology of trauma; trauma-responsive practices

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The World Health Organization estimated that in the year 2019, over 1 billion children experienced physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect. This statistic does not even take into account other stressors such as hunger, poverty, forced relocation, racism, and discrimination, which also negatively impact children and families around the world.

With such adverse childhood experiences being commonplace, these children and their families are of major concern for all helping professionals, including medical personnel, social workers, psychologists, counselors, researchers, educators, and rescue/relief agencies. The loss in terms of human and financial capital, including costs for family interventions, substance abuse treatment, incarceration, housing, crisis care, medical care, and missed school and work due to mental health challenges, makes this a global crisis. Without the proper development of healthy parenting practices, combined with adequate community supports, millions more children will suffer.

This Special Issue welcomes submissions from scholars and practitioners from any discipline focusing on traumatized children and families. Review articles identifying gaps in knowledge and suggestions for future work, as well as empirical articles examining any aspect of child abuse or neglect, will be considered. Possible foci include: evaluations of intervention/prevention programs, theoretical and methodological advancements (e.g., identifying mediators or moderators), and multidiscplinary or community-wide program development/implementation practices. We particularly welcome work examining diverse populations and from all regions of the world.

Prof. Dr. Tasha R. Howe
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • child abuse
  • child neglect
  • child maltreatment prevention
  • parenting interventions
  • parent–child attachment
  • attachment theory
  • program evaluation
  • developmental psychopathology
  • global child welfare
  • evidence-based practices
  • community interventions
  • trauma-informed care

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

14 pages, 296 KiB  
Article
Digital Parenting Program: Enhancing Parenting and Reducing Child Behavior Problems
by Elisa Rachel Pisani Altafim, Rebeca Cristina de Oliveira, Gabriela Aratangy Pluciennik, Eduardo Marino and Cláudia Maria Gaspardo
Children 2024, 11(8), 980; https://doi.org/10.3390/children11080980 - 14 Aug 2024
Viewed by 1243
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Digital parenting programs using smartphone apps can support families in positive parenting and require evaluations of their effects, mainly in low- and middle-income countries with caregivers experiencing psychosocial vulnerabilities. The study evaluated the “Born Learning” digital parenting program on improving parenting practices, [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Digital parenting programs using smartphone apps can support families in positive parenting and require evaluations of their effects, mainly in low- and middle-income countries with caregivers experiencing psychosocial vulnerabilities. The study evaluated the “Born Learning” digital parenting program on improving parenting practices, child prosocial behavior, and reducing the children’s externalizing behavior problems. Additionally, participants’ satisfaction and engagement with the program were evaluated. Methods: Brazilian primary caregivers of 3- to 6-year-old children totaling 91, participated in the “Born Learning” program and pre-, post-intervention, and five-month follow-up evaluations. Results: Most participants received cash transfers (64%) and reported some level of food insecurity (78%). The parenting coercive practices decreased from pre- to post-intervention, with maintenance in follow-up. Satisfaction with the role of parenting increased, and child conduct behavior problems decreased from pre-intervention to follow-up. Most participants found the program content very interesting and engaged adequately with the program strategies, such as messages and videos. Conclusions: The digital parenting program can support caregivers by enhancing parenting and decreasing child behavior problems, highlighting the potential for broader implementation in similar contexts. Full article
12 pages, 240 KiB  
Article
Effects of Childhood Adversity and Its Interaction with the MAOA, BDNF, and COMT Polymorphisms on Subclinical Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Symptoms in Generally Healthy Youth
by Meng-Che Tsai, Kai-Jyun Jhang, Chih-Ting Lee, Yu-Fang Lin, Carol Strong, Yi-Ching Lin, Yi-Ping Hsieh and Chung-Ying Lin
Children 2020, 7(9), 122; https://doi.org/10.3390/children7090122 - 3 Sep 2020
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3270
Abstract
We aimed to investigate the effects of childhood adversity and its interaction with the polymorphisms in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genes on attention and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a community sample of generally healthy [...] Read more.
We aimed to investigate the effects of childhood adversity and its interaction with the polymorphisms in the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) genes on attention and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms in a community sample of generally healthy youth. Participants (N = 432) completed questionnaires assessing ADHD symptoms (i.e., inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsiveness) and adverse childhood experiences, such as adverse environments (AEs) and childhood maltreatment (CM). Salivary genomic DNA was used to test polymorphisms in MAOA, BDNF, and COMT genes. A gene score (GS) was created based on the number of risk allele in the studied genes. Multiple linear regressions were used to examine the genetic and environmental effects on ADHD symptoms. The univariate analysis indicated that CM was significantly associated with inattention (β = 0.48 [95% confidence interval 0.16–0.79]), hyperactivity (0.25 [0.06–0.45]), and impulsiveness (1.16 [0.26–2.05]), while the GS was associated with hyperactivity (0.22 [0.11–0.33]) and impulsiveness (0.56 [0.06–1.05]). Only the GS remained significantly associated with hyperactivity (0.25 [0.12–0.37]) and impulsiveness (0.79 [0.20–1.38]) when the gene-environment interaction term was added in the model. No effects were found for AE and the gene-environment interaction term. In conclusion, CM was associated with ADHD symptoms in emerging adulthood. Genetic factors may also play a significant role in the association with these outcomes. Full article
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