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Review
. 2023 Oct;25(10):533-543.
doi: 10.1007/s11920-023-01449-1. Epub 2023 Sep 18.

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic On Violence Against Children: A Narrative Review

Amera Mojahed  1 , Judith T Mack  2 , Lina Specht  3   4 , Vania Sandoz  5 , Susan Garthus-Niegel  3   6   7
Affiliations
Review

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic On Violence Against Children: A Narrative Review

Amera Mojahed et al. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Purpose of review: The goal of this paper was to explore the different ways the COVID-19 pandemic has affected violence against children (VAC).

Recent findings: Recent research of peer-reviewed articles using operational or survey data revealed the pandemic's impact in terms of institutional responses, risk and mediating factors, changes in VAC dynamics, and a likely increase in child marriage. Findings include a decrease in institutional responses, activities, and prevention case openings; an increased incidence of interparental intimate partner violence (IPV) witnessing cases, hospital admissions for suspected Abusive Head Trauma (AHT), other pediatric injuries, and sexual violence; a change in family conflict dynamics; and an estimated increase in child marriages. It also revealed mediating factors between the relationship of the pandemic and VAC (such as parental stress and mental health symptoms), as well as risk factors observed by service providers, which include the risk of mental health symptoms of both parents and children. Post-pandemic VAC research can be improved by utilizing operational or survey data in a meaningful way to be able to derive sound intervention approaches to diminish the pandemic's impact on VAC and child marriage. We also propose for researchers to integrate child marriage into the definition of VAC.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; Child marriage; Impact; Narrative review; Post-pandemic implications; Violence against children.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare. All co-authors have seen and agree with the contents of the manuscript and there is no financial interest to report. We certify that the submission is original work and is not under review at any other publication.

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References

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