Heightened risk of child maltreatment amid the COVID-19 pandemic can exacerbate mental health problems for the next generation.

Abstract

The spread of the COVID-19 disrupted ecological systems in which children develop, exacerbating threats to their safety and increasing their vulnerability to future psychopathology. Supports to reduce sources of stress for caregivers and protect children from threats to their safety are warranted.

How is COVID-19 pandemic impacting mental health of children and adolescents?

“…Many authors were concerned about children suffering or witnessing domestic violence or sexual abuse [ 21 , 25 , 33 , [38] , [39] , [40] ]. Some argued that the in-home scenario produced by the pandemic could erupt to those abuses [ 21 , 22 , 26 , 35 , 38 ].…”

How societal responses to COVID-19 could contribute to child neglect

“…When it comes to children’s affective needs, the response usually comes from many sources such as parents, extended family members, teachers, caregivers, and friends. However, the COVID-19 lockdown has restricted contact with those who support and love children while eroding the family support system ( Cuartas, 2020 ). In a study of children’s perceptions of the pandemic, several of them mentioned that they lacked the presence of their friends.…”

“…Among other things, concerns were raised about the availability of food for children benefiting from food programs through schools or community organizations, the protection of children at risk of maltreatment, and supervision in cases where parents had to cope with full-time jobs and children at home due to the closure of schools and day-care centers. Other literature reviews conducted in the early stages of COVID-19 highlighted that the policies put in place to contain a pandemic also pose a risk to children in care and child protection services in general ( Cuartas, 2020 ; Sistovaris et al, 2020 ). As such, the pandemic has caused a significant disruption in the shared responsibility for children’s well-being, by leaving parents as the sole providers of all children’s needs.…”

Child Maltreatment during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Consequences of Parental Job Loss on Psychological and Physical Abuse Towards Children

“…Within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, negative coping strategies are anticipated to exacerbate the impact of economic stressors on child abuse ( Usher, Navjot, Durkin, Gyamfi, & Debra, 2020 ). Positive coping strategies may buffer such risk ( Cuartas, 2020 ). Guided by an ecological approach and the family stress and stress and coping models of child maltreatment, the potential buffering role of parental positive cognitive reframing on the association between parental job loss and psychological maltreatment and physical abuse was evaluated among parents of 4- to 10-year-olds living in the United States.…”