Deviations in criminal filings of child abuse and neglect during COVID-19 from forecasted models: An analysis of the state of Oklahoma, USA

Whelan, John W.; Hartwell, Micah; Chesher, Tessa; Coffey, Sara; Hendrix, Amy; Passmore, Sarah; Baxter, Michael A.; Harder, Margaret den; Greiner, Ben

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104863

Cited by 25 publications

(36 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…There were definite temporal variations in rates of child abuse. The majority of studies regarding child abuse during the COVID pandemic used the time period immediately after the SHO in March to May or June reported decreased rates of child abuse presentation, reports, or investigations during this early time period, which our study corroborates [ 18 , [20] , [21] , [22] , [23] , [24] ]. Barboza et al showed that although overall rates of child abuse decreased during the first 4 months of the pandemic, areas with deficiencies in many social determinants of health were associated with new “hot spots” of child abuse [24] .…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

“…Barboza et al showed that although overall rates of child abuse decreased during the first 4 months of the pandemic, areas with deficiencies in many social determinants of health were associated with new “hot spots” of child abuse [24] . Using ARIMA techniques, Whelan et al showed that criminal filings for child abuse decreased over 25% from expected from February to June 2020 [20] . Several single institution studies reported no change or even a decrease in the proportion of NAT in the first 2-3 months of the pandemic [ 18 , 21 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Impact of “Stay-at-Home” orders on non-accidental trauma: A multi-institutional study

Collings

Farazi

Arendonk

et al. 2022

Journal of Pediatric Surgery

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 79%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of “Stay-at-Home” orders on non-accidental trauma: A multi-institutional study

Collings

Farazi

Arendonk

et al. 2022

Journal of Pediatric Surgery

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“…These included reports of home closures due to a lack of school and childcare, prolonged court delays, insufficient supports for special needs children and placement disruptions related to pandemic stressors which are all very serious problems with significant consequences. There is limited research on these specific impacts during COVID-19 to date though there is accumulating evidence of an increase in the incidence of child maltreatment in the general population, less frequent reporting of child maltreatment to authorities, increased impacts on mental health for adolescents with maltreatment histories and extensive court closures and delays ( Cappa & Jijon, 2021 ; Guo et al, 2020 ; Katz et al, 2021; Lawson et al, 2020 ; National Center for State Courts, 2020 ; Whelan et al, 2021 ). The findings of the present study and others reflect the complexity of the foster care and child welfare systems, and how pandemic stressors are exacerbating problems in a manner that warrants attention and policy shifts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative analysis of caregiver and professional experiences

Whitt-Woosley

Sprang

Eslinger

2022

Child Abuse & Neglect

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Background Research is needed to facilitate better understanding of how different groups have been impacted by COVID-19, especially those in already strained service systems such as foster care. These inquiries will support further response, recovery and preparedness efforts. Objective This qualitative study addressed how professionals and caregivers in foster care described being affected by COVID-19 in order to support future research and planning for foster care systems in this pandemic context. Participants and setting A sample of foster parents and foster care professionals (N = 357) from a mostly rural, southeastern state in the U.S. participated in the study. Methods Qualitative analysis was conducted of 357 open-ended responses regarding the impact of COVID-19 from a survey distributed in August 2020. Results The coding process resulted in the identification of 15 distinct themes: Isolation & Loss of Social Support, Work Changes/Stressors, School Issues, Childcare Issues, No Impact/Positive Changes, Financial Problems, Fear of Contagion, Negative Child Welfare Impacts, Mental Health Problems/Stress, Loss of Faith/Trust & Societal Frustrations, Health & Mental Healthcare Access Issues, PPE & Testing Issues, Grief & Loss, and Marital Problems. Secondary impacts rather than direct physiologic effects of the virus were primarily reported. Conclusions This study underscores the various challenges facing foster care systems, and how the pandemic context is exacerbating many of these issues. Further research is needed to ensure the implementation of adequately complex and nuanced responses that target needs and avoid creating further problems for foster care.

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“…Another set of studies, though, has relied on administrative data from social service records, police crime reports, and hotline calls to compare rates of child maltreatment before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (Musser et al, 2021; Petrowski et al, 2021; Rapoport et al, 2021; Whelan et al, 2021). Administrative data have consistently shown significant drops in reports of suspicions of maltreatment during the first several months of the COVID-19 pandemic relative to beforehand (Barboza et al, 2021; E. Baron et al, 2020; Bullinger et al, 2020; Jonson-Reid et al, 2020; Rapoport et al, 2021).…”

Section: Contextual Factors Impacting Child Maltreatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Identification and incidence of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Metcalf¹,

Marlow²,

Rood³

et al. 2022

Psychology, Public Policy, and Law

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The COVID-19 pandemic raised serious concerns about child maltreatment, which is known to increase in frequency and severity during times of high stress. The present study used diverse data sets to concurrently examine changes in identification and medical evaluation of maltreatment allegations from before to during COVID-19. Four sources of data were collected from two counties for the months of March through December, 2019 and 2020, including reports to social services and child maltreatment evaluation center medical evaluations (CMECs). The number of reports, number of children reported, and rate of children reported were used to evaluate identification. Incidence was estimated based on the number of medical evaluations conducted at the CMECs. Maltreatment type, reporter type, and child demographics were also considered. Across both counties, there were significantly fewer reports and reported children in 2020 compared with in 2019, signifying decreased identification of suspected maltreatment cases. This was especially true in spring and fall when children are typically in school. Across both counties, the proportion of children reported to the county that received medical evaluations was higher in 2020 compared with in 2019. This suggests that the pandemic was related to an increase in the occurrence of maltreatment serious enough to warrant medical evaluations, or perhaps in the relative number of serious cases identified. Findings show divergent trends in reporting and evaluation of suspected maltreatment cases from before to during COVID-19. Identification and service delivery methods need creative solutions to adapt to changing environments. Medical, social, and legal systems need to prepare for increases in families seeking services as pandemic-related restrictions are lifted.

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Deviations in criminal filings of child abuse and neglect during COVID-19 from forecasted models: An analysis of the state of Oklahoma, USA

Cited by 25 publications

References 45 publications

Impact of “Stay-at-Home” orders on non-accidental trauma: A multi-institutional study

Impact of “Stay-at-Home” orders on non-accidental trauma: A multi-institutional study

Foster care during the COVID-19 pandemic: A qualitative analysis of caregiver and professional experiences

Identification and incidence of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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