Skip to main content

Helping children who have been maltreated

Date created
2018
Authors/Contributors
Author: Schwartz, C.
Author: Barican, J.
Author: Yung, D.
Author: Waddell, C.
Abstract
Background: Child maltreatment is an avoidable form of adversity that puts children at risk for negative mental health and life course outcomes making prevention imperative. Nevertheless, when maltreatment has occurred, interventions can help reduce harm for children while also supporting parents.Methods: We used systematic review methods to identify randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating interventions for children who have been maltreated. Applying our inclusion criteria to the 68 studies identified from our searches, we accepted seven RCTs.Results: Six interventions showed benefits. Promoting First Relationships reduced child apprehensions due to maltreatment and improved children’s behaviour and emotional responses. Child-Parent Psychotherapy increased children’s “secure attachment” to their mothers and improved their behaviour. Project Support reduced physical abuse among children exposed to intimate partner violence and improved children’s behaviour and emotional well-being. Multisystemic Therapy reduced re-abuse and out-of-home placements; it also reduced child posttraumatic stress, dissociation, and other emotional and behavioural problems. Fostering Healthy Futures reduced placement changes as well as child dissociation and emotional distress. Finally, It’s My Turn Now reduced children’s posttraumatic stress symptoms.Conclusions: The best way to help children flourish is to support families to meet children’s basic needs, including preventing maltreatment. When children have been mistreated, practitioners should intervene before mental health symptoms develop given that emotional or behavioural problems can be prevented. Finally, children who have been maltreated and then develop emotional or behavioural symptoms need to receive effective interventions as quickly as possible.
Document
Published as
Schwartz, C., Barican, J., Yung, D., Gray-Grant, D., & Waddell, C. (2018). Helping children who have been maltreated. Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly, 12(4), 1–20. Vancouver, BC: Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University.https://childhealthpolicy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/RQ-12-18-Fall.pdf
Publication title
Children’s Mental Health Research Quarterly
Document title
Helping children who have been maltreated
Publisher
Vancouver, BC: Children’s Health Policy Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Date
2018
Volume
12
Issue
4
First page
1
Last page
20
Copyright statement
Copyright is held by the author(s).
Permissions
You are free to copy, distribute and transmit this work under the following conditions: You must give attribution to the work (but not in any way that suggests that the author endorses you or your use of the work); You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
Scholarly level
Peer reviewed?
No
Language
English
Download file Size
RQ-12-18-Fall.pdf 2.79 MB

Views & downloads - as of June 2023

Views: 0
Downloads: 0