What was missed in child protection responses during COVID-19? Perceptions of professionals from various countries.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic increased the likelihood of child maltreatment and made already difficult circumstances for children and their families much worse. This increased the significance of the child protection system's role in responding to child maltreatment and ensuring children's rights, including their right to a safe life without violence. Unfortunately, accumulating evidence has indicated that the rates of child maltreatment increased during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The current study sought to identify the gaps within child protection responses in various countries during the COVID-19 pandemic and to discover how we can respond to crises in the future while preserving children's rights, including their right to protection from maltreatment. METHOD: Five focus groups with a total of 47 professionals working with children from various countries were conducted via Zoom and analyzed using a thematic approach. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: 1) gaps in policies, 2) gaps in practice, and 3) professionals' messages to improve policy and practice. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasizes what was missed in child protection policy and practice, highlighting the continuous neglect of children's needs and voices within policies, practices and guidelines worldwide during the pandemic. Professionals' recommendations for policy and practice are also discussed.

Experiences and responses of child protection professionals during COVID-19: Lessons learned from professionals around the globe.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 significantly worsened already challenging circumstances for children and their families and globally increased the likelihood of child maltreatment. This risk heightened the urgency of child protection professionals in preventing child maltreatment and defending children's rights. The vast and growing body of research on protecting children from child maltreatment during COVID-19 has emphasized practitioners' tremendous difficulty in this arena. OBJECTIVE: The current international study sought to identify the experiences and responses of child protection professionals to child maltreatment during COVID-19. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Five real-time, virtual focus groups were conducted among professionals who work with children from countries around the globe. METHOD: Reflexive thematic analysis was employed to analyze the focus group transcripts. RESULTS: The participants identified their experiences and challenges in performing their role of protecting children. Additionally, they shared context-adapted and innovative responses to child maltreatment, while emphasizing self-care and their mental health. CONCLUSIONS: The results highlighted that child protection was significantly more challenging during the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, they underlined the importance of establishing practices and policies for child protection in crisis times as well as ensuring both children's and professionals' well-being and mental health.

The remote work of child protection professionals during COVID-19: A scoping review and thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic created new challenges and barriers for the work of child protection professionals (CPPs) and intensified existing hardships for families and children, increasing the risk of child maltreatment. As new restrictions and precautions were implemented by governments worldwide to stop the virus from spreading, CPPs had to adapt to a new reality of working remotely. However, limited research has investigated how remote work impacted CPPs and child protection work and how CPPs handled this alternative work style. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to address gaps in the research to reveal the creative and effective approaches CPPs developed to overcome the challenges presented by COVID-19, defined as the 'positive legacy' of CPPs, particularly in adapting to remote work challenges. METHOD: This review was conducted using a scoping review, followed by two rounds of thematic analysis. The scoping review was conducted in six languages: Hebrew, Arabic, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and English. RESULTS: The first round of thematic analysis found 18 articles relevant to this review. The second round extracted two main themes: 1) the challenges of remote work and 2) overcoming the challenges of no contact. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review may be used to inform future strategies for child protection during a pandemic. They also provide an opportunity to rethink the relationship child protection work has with technology to systematically reform current and future protection policies and practices, including outside of a pandemic.

Adverse Childhood Experiences in Brazilian College Students: Examining Associations with Suicidal Ideation and Risky Behaviors.

Background: The association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and poor health outcomes is well-established in high-income countries. However, the evidence is limited for the association of ACEs, mental health, and risky behaviors for low- and middle-income countries. Moreover, studies often overlook prescription drug misuse and risky driving when examining the association of ACEs with risky behaviors. In our study, we examined the associations between ACEs, suicidal ideation, and risky behaviors (binge drinking, prescription drug misuse, and risky driving) among Brazilian college students. Methods: Participants consisted of a convenience sample of students recruited from undergraduate courses primarily in two states in Southern Brazil (93%). Data were collected via an online survey between December 2020 and August 2021. The analytical sample comprised 503 participants, most were female (71%), and the mean age was 24 years. Survey instrument included questions on ten different ACE types, mental health, and risky behaviors. Statistical analyses included univariate descriptive analysis, binary and multivariable regression models. Results: Across the ten ACE types assessed, only 14% of participants reported no ACEs, and 29% of participants experienced polyvictimization (i.e., four or more ACES). Multivariable models showed that, compared to those with no ACEs, participants who experienced polyvictimization had significantly increased odds of reporting suicide ideation (AOR = 6.21, p < .001), prescription drug misuse (AOR = 8.78, p < .01), and riding with an impaired driver (AOR = 3.58, p < .01). Conclusions: Our findings support the need for psychological support and services available for college students with multiple ACEs.

Sex determination through maxillary dental arch and skeletal base measurements using machine learning.

BACKGROUND: Cranial, facial, nasal, and maxillary widths have been shown to be significantly affected by the individual's sex. The present study aims to use measurements of dental arch and maxillary skeletal base to determine sex, employing supervised machine learning. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Maxillary and mandibular tomographic examinations from 100 patients were analyzed to investigate the inter-premolar width, inter-molar width, maxillary width, inter-pterygoid width, nasal cavity width, nostril width, and maxillary length, obtained through Cone Beam Computed Tomography scans. The following machine learning algorithms were used to build the predictive models: Logistic Regression, Gradient Boosting Classifier, K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multi-Layer Perceptron Classifier (MLP), Decision Tree, and Random Forest Classifier. A 10-fold cross-validation approach was adopted to validate each model. Metrics such as area under the curve (AUC), accuracy, recall, precision, and F1 Score were calculated for each model, and Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were constructed. RESULTS: Univariate analysis showed statistical significance (p < 0.10) for all skeletal and dental variables. Nostril width showed greater importance in two models, while Inter-molar width stood out among dental measurements. The models achieved accuracy values ranging from 0.75 to 0.85 on the test data. Logistic Regression, Random Forest, Decision Tree, and SVM models had the highest AUC values, with SVM showing the smallest disparity between cross-validation and test data for accuracy metrics. CONCLUSION: Transverse dental arch and maxillary skeletal base measurements exhibited strong predictive capability, achieving high accuracy with machine learning methods. Among the evaluated models, the SVM algorithm exhibited the best performance. This indicates potential usefulness in forensic sex determination.

School-based interventions TO Prevent Dating and Relationship Violence and Gender-Based Violence: STOP-DRV-GBV systematic review.

Background: Schools have a duty of care to prevent violence between students but a significant amount of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence occurs in schools. These are important public health issues with important longitudinal consequences for young people. Objectives: To understand functioning and effectiveness of school-based interventions for the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence. Review methods: We undertook a mixed-methods systematic review to synthesise different types of evidence relating to school-based interventions for the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence to understand if, how and in what ways these interventions are effective. We searched 21 databases and 2 trial registers and undertook forwards and backwards citation chasing, author contact and other supplementary search methods. Searches identified all literature published to June 2021. All screening was undertaken in duplicate and independently, and we quality appraised all included studies. Results: We included 247 reports (68 outcome evaluations, 137 process evaluations). Synthesis of intervention components produced an intervention typology: single-component, curricular, multicomponent, and multilevel programmes. Synthesis of intervention theories suggested that interventions aiming to increase students' sense of school belonging and sense of safety in the school building could encourage increased learning of prosocial skills and increased prosocial peer norms, and so potentially reducing dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence. Synthesis of factors affecting delivery highlighted school organisation and leaders who believed in the importance of addressing dating and relationship violence/gender-based violence, along with time and resources to deliver the interventions. The ease with which the intervention could be delivered and modified was also important. Meta-analysis found stronger evidence for intervention effectiveness in reducing dating and relationship violence than for gender-based violence, with significant long-term impacts on dating and relationship violence victimisation and perpetration, and some evidence that interventions in high-income countries could be effective for reducing victimisation and perpetration of gender-based violence in the long-term. Impacts on knowledge and attitudes were primarily short-term. Network meta-analysis did not suggest superiority of any intervention type. Moderation evidence suggested interventions reduced dating and relationship violence perpetration in boys more than girls, but reduced gender-based violence perpetration more in girls. Metaregression by intervention component did not explain heterogeneity in effectiveness, but qualitative comparative analysis suggested that reducing perpetration was important to reducing victimisation, and that perpetration could be reduced via focus on interpersonal skills, guided practice and (for gender-based violence) implementation of social structural components. Limitations: Despite an exhaustive search, trials may have been missed and risk of publication bias was high for several analyses. Conclusions: This is the most comprehensive systematic review of school-based interventions for dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence to date. It is clear that the prevention of dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence in schools will require longer-term investment to show benefit. Future work: Future research is needed to understand why intervention effectiveness appears stronger for dating and relationship violence than gender-based violence. Study registration: The study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42020190463. Funding: This award was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Public Health Research programme (NIHR award ref: NIHR130144) and is published in full in Public Health Research; Vol. 12, No. 3. See the NIHR Funding and Awards website for further award information.

Schools are places where dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence occur. Therefore, interventions conducted within schools are ideally placed to prevent and reduce dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence. We reviewed existing research on these interventions, exploring how they were expected to work, what factors affected their implementation in practice, how they had an impact on dating and relationship violence and gender-based violence, and what specific parts of the interventions were most effective and in what contexts. We defined what sort of evidence to include in the review, carried out a comprehensive search and found 247 reports on school-based interventions to prevent dating and relationship violence or gender-based violence, most of which were conducted in North America. Most interventions aimed to provide students with the knowledge, attitudes and skills needed to prevent perpetration and victimisation. They varied in complexity; some had one activity, others had multiple activities, some were integrated into the existing school curricula and others were complex in that they sought to change how schools as a whole respond to dating and relationship violence or gender-based violence. We theorised that complex interventions would bring about greater and more sustainable change, but this was not supported by our findings. The implementation of interventions was affected by factors such as school organisation and leaders who believed in the importance of addressing dating and relationship violence/gender-based violence, along with time and resources to deliver the interventions. The ease with which the intervention could be delivered and modified was also important. There was stronger evidence for intervention effectiveness in reducing dating and relationship violence than for gender-based violence, with significant long-term impacts on dating and relationship violence victimisation and perpetration. There was some evidence that interventions in high-income countries could be effective for reducing victimisation and perpetration of gender-based violence in the long-term. More complicated interventions were not more effective, and interventions tended to reduce dating and relationship violence perpetration in boys more than in girls. We have also been able to identify where there are gaps in available evidence, which may provide avenues for future research.

Examining resilience among child protection professionals during COVID-19: A global comparison across 57 countries.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic led to numerous challenges for child protection professionals (CPPs). However, limited research has investigated the interwoven concepts of coping, resilience, and mental distress among CPPs during COVID-19 on a global scale. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to explore CPPs' practice, resilience, and mental distress during COVID-19, the relationship between their resilience and mental distress, the global stability of the Multi-System Model of Resilience (MSMR), and how CPPs' resilience varied according to the Human Development Index (HDI). METHODS: Data were collected from 420 CPPs in 57 countries across five continents between July and September 2021. Participants completed an online questionnaire on demographics, resilience, mental distress, coping, and perceptions of child protection during the pandemic in their native languages. The analyses compared the countries grouped according to HDI using means comparisons, correlations, and multiple linear regressions. A two-path analysis was also performed to identify variables associated with behavioral resilience engagement and mental distress. RESULTS: The findings indicated that CPPs' perceptions of COVID-19's impact on child maltreatment varied in correlation with their country's HDI. There were also significant HDI-based differences regarding the perceived opportunity to engage in resilient behavior and its helpfulness. Years of professional experience, internal resilience, and external resilience were shown to be significant predictors of mental distress among CPPs during the pandemic, and resilience mediated how years of experience predicted mental distress. CONCLUSIONS: This study emphasized the importance of experience and internal resilience for CPPs' psychological well-being. It also provides empirical evidence to support the MSMR theory on a global scale. Additionally, it demonstrates how the perceived changes in child maltreatment during COVID-19 may be associated with regional HDI. Lastly, the opportunities CPPs had to engage in resilient behavior and how much this helped them was associated with regional HDI, but not in the way originally predicted. Study results also hold implications for how practice and policy may be altered to help CPPs cope better during times of crisis and generally.

The global impact of COVID-19 on child protection professionals: A scoping review and thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic triggered new risks for child maltreatment (CM) and exacerbated existing challenges for families and children, elevating the importance of child protection professionals (CPPs) while also adding barriers to their work. During the pandemic, many CPPs experienced increased workloads, a disrupted work environment, and personal pandemic-related hardships. However, the scope of how COVID-19 impacted CPPs globally, as well as their adopted coping strategies, have not been well explored. OBJECTIVE: This study addresses these gaps in the research by conducting an international scoping review to explore and analyze these topics. METHOD: The scoping review was performed in six languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, across 16 databases. Sixteen manuscripts were included in the final thematic analysis of this review. RESULTS: Two main themes were identified: 1) the impact of COVID-19 on CPPs, and 2) the coping and adaptation strategies employed by CPPs during COVID-19. This review revealed and emphasized the importance of CPPs' resilience during COVID-19, underpinned by the theoretical framework of the social ecology of resilience. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the responsibility of social ecologies and organizational structures to create readiness for a rapid response in times of crisis as well as valuable evidence to inform how CPPs, children, and families may be better supported in the event of a future crisis.

Child protective services and out-of-home Care for Children during COVID-19: A scoping review and thematic analysis.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic challenged child protection and posed new risks for child maltreatment (CM). Moreover, governmental efforts worldwide prioritized mitigating the spread of the virus over ensuring the welfare and protection of families and children. This neglect caused hardship for many vulnerable children, including those in out-of-home care (OOHC), and challenged the functionality of child protective services (CPS). However, only limited research has investigated the impact of COVID-19 on OOHC and CPS and explored how CPS overcame the challenges of helping children in OOHC. OBJECTIVE: This review aims to address this gap in the research to unveil the 'positive legacy' left by CPS in their work with children in OOHC during COVID-19. METHOD: This review utilized three stages of analysis, including a scoping review followed by two rounds of thematic analysis. The scoping review was carried out in six languages: English, Hebrew, Arabic, French, Portuguese, and Spanish. The first round of thematic analysis found eight relevant articles for this review. The second round of thematic analysis found three themes related to this paper's aim in the context of COVID-19. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified: 1) decision-making and OOHC, 2) difficulties in procedures related to OOHC placement, and 3) handling challenges of OOHC. CONCLUSIONS: The discussion emphasizes the crucial role of preserving children's rights, hearing their voices and needs, and considering their safety and well-being when planning policies and practices to protect them. It also emphasizes society's responsibility to acknowledge contextual factors in child protection.

Technologies and Mental Health in University Students: An Unhealthy Combination.

Introduction The exposure of medical students to a full-time schedule that includes classes, extracurricular activities, patients' lives responsibility, and great competition between classmates can interfere in emotional issues and in the sleep time. Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sleep quality, and the incidence of anxiety and depression in medical school undergraduates as well as the relationship of these parameters with the intense use of technologies. Methods Fifty-five medical school undergraduates in their second year participated in the present study, answering questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index - PSQI), night-time use of technology (sleep time-related information and communication technology - STRICT), and signs of anxiety or depression (hospital anxiety and depression scale - HADS). Results The results showed 31 students (56.4%) with poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5). Based on the STRICT questionnaire, 36 (65.4%) of the participants referred to making use of technology at night-time; and 34 (61.8%) students had compatible anxiety score, while 14 (25.4%) had a compatible score for depression on the HADS questionnaire. There has been a correlation between poor sleep quality, the abuse of technologies before sleep time, and the presence of anxiety or depression. Conclusion The abuse of technology before sleep time reduced the sleep quality in the studied population, besides increasing the symptoms of anxiety and depression.

A qualitative analysis of child protection professionals' challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

PURPOSE: Child Protection Professionals (CPPs) play a key role in providing insights into the child protection system and how it can best support children's right to personal security, particularly during trying times like the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualitative research provides one potential tool to tap into this knowledge and awareness. This research thus expanded earlier qualitative work on CPPs' perceptions of the impact of COVID-19 on their work, including potential struggles and barriers, into the context of a developing country. METHODS: A total of 309 CPPs from all five regions in Brazil answered demographics, pandemic-related resilient behaviors, and open-ended questions regarding their profession during the pandemic. RESULTS: Data went through a three-step process of analysis: (1) pre-analysis; (2) category creation; and (3) coding of responses. Five categories emerged from the analysis: the Pandemic's Impact on CPPs' Work; the Impact of the Pandemic on CPP-Involved Families; Occupational Concerns during the Pandemic; Politics and the Pandemic; and Vulnerability due to the Pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: Our qualitative analyses showed the pandemic resulted in increased challenges for CPPs across several fronts within their workplace. Although each of these categories is discussed separately, they all influenced one another. This highlights the need to continue efforts to support CPPs.

Resilience during times of enduring challenge: Brazilian Child Protection Professionals' resilience and psychological distress one year into the COVID-19 pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Child Protection Professionals (CPPs) was widespread. Evidence regarding how those professionals dealt with the pandemic adversities and consequences for their wellbeing are scarce. OBJECTIVE: We sought to analyze whether predictors of resilience had changed one year into the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Specifically, we explored the resiliency of CPPs as the stress of the pandemic evolved from an acute stressor to a more chronic and persistent stressor. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: 263 CPPs from the five regions of Brazil engaged in this study. Participants had a mean age of 40 years and, on average, 13 years of experience in their field. METHODS: CPPs were recruited between March and April of 2021 via professional social media outlets to complete an online survey. CPPs answered questions regarding their perceptions of their work conditions, psychological distress, and resilience. Survey questions were adopted from a prior survey distributed in 2020. RESULTS: We replicated findings from our earlier study in the pandemic: A model of CPPs' resilient behaviors showed good indices of fit even one year into the pandemic. Despite this, paths related to individual importance for personal resilient behavior were not significant in this model. Unmet resilient needs significantly predicted general psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: CPPs revealed some changing resiliency needs as the pandemic progressed. Results revealed that meeting resilience-related needs is key to decreasing the psychological distress of this population. This work adds to the literature on the understudied topic of CPPs' psychological distress and resilience during international challenges.

Child protective services during COVID-19 and doubly marginalized children: International perspectives.

BACKGROUND: Alongside deficits in children's wellbeing, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an elevated risk for child maltreatment and challenges for child protective services worldwide. Therefore, some children might be doubly marginalized, as prior inequalities become exacerbated and new risk factors arise. OBJECTIVE: To provide initial insight into international researchers' identification of children who might have been overlooked or excluded from services during the pandemic. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: This study was part of an international collaboration involving researchers from Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Israel, South Africa, Uganda, the UK and the USA. Researchers from each country provided a written narrative in response to the three research questions in focus, which integrated the available data from their countries. METHOD: Three main questions were explored: 1) Who are the children that were doubly marginalized? 2) What possible mechanisms may be at the root? and 3) In what ways were children doubly marginalized? The international scholars provided information regarding the three questions. A thematic analysis was employed using the intersectional theoretical framework to highlight the impact of children's various identities. RESULTS: The analysis yielded three domains: (1) five categories of doubly marginalized children at increased risk of maltreatment, (2) mechanisms of neglect consisting of unplanned, discriminatory and inadequate actions, and (3) children were doubly marginalized through exclusion in policy and practice and the challenges faced by belonging to vulnerable groups. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic can be used as a case study to illustrate the protection of children from maltreatment during worldwide crises. Findings generated the understanding that child protective systems worldwide must adhere to an intersectionality framework to protect all children and promote quality child protection services.

One year into COVID-19: What have we learned about child maltreatment reports and child protective service responses?

BACKGROUND: A year has passed since COVID-19 began disrupting systems. Although children are not considered a risk population for the virus, there is accumulating knowledge regarding children's escalating risk for maltreatment during the pandemic. OBJECTIVE: The current study is part of a larger initiative using an international platform to examine child maltreatment (CM) reports and child protective service (CPS) responses in various countries. The first data collection, which included a comparison between eight countries after the pandemic's first wave (March-June 2020), illustrated a worrisome picture regarding children's wellbeing. The current study presents the second wave of data across 12 regions via population data (Australia [New South Wales], Brazil, United States [California, Pennsylvania], Colombia, England, Germany, Israel, Japan, Canada [Ontario, Quebec], South Africa). METHOD: Regional information was gathered, including demographics, economic situation, and CPS responses to COVID-19. A descriptive analysis was conducted to provide an overview of the phenomenon. RESULTS: Across all of the countries, COVID-19 had a substantial negative impact on the operation of CPSs and the children and families they serve by disrupting in-person services. One year into the COVID-19 pandemic, new reports of CM varied across the regions.1 In some, the impact of COVID-19 on CPS was low to moderate, while in others, more significant changes created multiple challenges for CPS services. CONCLUSIONS: COVID-19 created a barrier for CPS to access and protect children. The dramatic variance between the regions demonstrated how social, economic and structural contexts impact both CM reports and CPS responses.

Child maltreatment reports and Child Protection Service responses during COVID-19: Knowledge exchange among Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Israel, and South Africa.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has become a worldwide pandemic impacting child protection services (CPSs) in many countries. With quarantine and social distancing restrictions, school closures, and recreational venues suspended or providing reduced access, the social safety net for violence prevention has been disrupted significantly. Impacts include the concerns of underreporting and increased risk of child abuse and neglect, as well as challenges in operating CPSs and keeping their workforce safe. OBJECTIVE: The current discussion paper explored the impact of COVID-19 on child maltreatment reports and CPS responses by comparing countries using available population data. METHOD: Information was gathered from researchers in eight countries, including contextual information about the country's demographics and economic situation, key elements of the CPS, and the CPS response to COVID-19. Where available, information about other factors affecting children was also collected. These data informed a discussion about between-country similarities and differences. RESULTS: COVID-19 had significant impact on the operation of every CPS, whether in high- income or low-income countries. Most systems encountered some degree of service disruption or change. Risk factors for children appeared to increase while there were often substantial deficits in CPS responses, and in most countries there was at a temporary decrease in CM reports despite the increased risks to children. CONCLUSIONS: The initial data presented and discussed among the international teams pointed to the way COVID-19 has hampered CPS responses and the protection of children more generally in most jurisdictions, highlighting that children appear to have been at greater risk for maltreatment during COVID-19.

[Evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale]. / Evidências de validade de uma versão brasileira da Fear of COVID-19 Scale.

This study sought to analyze the evidence of the validity of a Brazilian version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), based on indicators relating to: (1) the internal structure; (2) the internal consistency; (3) the relation with external variables; and (4) the content. The instrument was culturally adapted, focusing on semantic and specifically Brazilian linguistic aspects. The Brazilian version of the FCV-19S was then applied, in a virtual environment, to 211 participants (72.98% female) with an average age of 37.07 years (SD=13.03), together with the Self-Perception Questionnaire on Mental Health in Pandemics and the Sociodemographic and Functional Questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed one-dimensionality. The internal consistency indices obtained (Cronbach's alpha =0.921; McDonald's omega =0.926) can be considered high. The correlation between fear and obsessive thinking of the disease, generalized anxiety, generalized stress, phobic-avoidant behavior and bereavement due to the pandemic was found to be statistically significant. Evidence of the validity related to content, derived from a qualitative approach, were satisfactory. The conclusion drawn is that the Brazilian version of the FCV-19S proved to be adequate regarding the evidence of the expected validity.

O presente estudo teve como objetivo analisar evidências de validade de uma versão brasileira da Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S), com base em indicadores concernentes: (1) à estrutura interna; (2) à consistência interna; (3) à relação com variáveis externas; e (4) ao conteúdo. Procedeu-se a adaptação cultural do instrumento, com foco em aspectos semânticos e linguísticos próprios do Brasil. A seguir, esta versão brasileira da FCV-19S foi aplicada, em um ambiente virtual, em 211 participantes (72,98% do sexo feminino), com idade média de 37,07 anos (DP=13,03), juntamente com o Questionário de Autopercepção de Saúde Mental em Pandemia e o Questionário Sociodemográfico e Funcional. A análise fatorial confirmatória atestou unidimensionalidade. Os índices de consistência interna obtidos (alfa de Cronbach =0,921; ômega de McDonald =0,926) podem ser considerados elevados. Constatou-se correlação estatisticamente significativa entre medo e pensamento obsessivo, ansiedade generalizada, estresse generalizado, comportamento fóbico-evitativo e vivência de luto pela pandemia. As evidências de validade relativas ao conteúdo, oriundas de uma abordagem qualitativa, foram satisfatórias. Conclui-se que esta versão brasileira da FCV-19S mostrou-se adequada quanto às evidências de validade contempladas.

Child maltreatment in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic: A proposed global framework on research, policy and practice.

BACKGROUND: Child protection is and will be drastically impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Comprehending this new reality and identifying research, practice and policy paths are urgent needs. OBJECTIVE: The current paper aims to suggest a framework for risk and protective factors that need to be considered in child protection in its various domains of research, policy, and practice during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. STRATEGY: From an international collaboration involving researchers and child protection professionals from eight countries, the current paper examines various factors that were identified as playing an important role in the child protection system. THE INITIAL SUGGESTED FRAMEWORK: Through the use of an ecological framework, the current paper points to risk and protective factors that need further exploration. Key conclusions point to the urgent need to address the protection of children in this time of a worldwide pandemic. Discussion of risk and protective factors is significantly influenced by the societal context of various countries, which emphasizes the importance of international collaboration in protecting children, especially in the time of a worldwide pandemic. CONCLUSION: The COVID-19 pandemic has stressed the urgent need to advance both theory and practice in order to ensure children's rights to safety and security during any pandemic. The suggested framework has the potential to advance these efforts so that children will be better protected from maltreatment amidst a pandemic in the future.

Brazilian Child Protection Professionals' Resilient Behavior during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic deeply affected child protection professionals. One potential area of concern is whether and how the pandemic has dampened these individuals' ability to engage in the resilient practices that are so vital to their wellbeing. OBJECTIVE: Within the unique and understudied context of a developing economy facing the strain of an international pandemic, this study sought to expand our theoretical understanding of the individual and socio-ecological predictors of whether child protective services professionals engage in resilient behaviors. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Three hundred and nine professionals working in child protection related fields (e.g., psychologists, social workers, professors, pediatricians, nurses, and other clinicians). METHODS: Participants were surveyed as to their demographics, current work conditions, their engagement in resilient behaviors, and potential individual and socio-ecological predictors of those behaviors. RESULTS: Both job support for and individuals' beliefs of the importance of resilient behaviors predicted their engagement in such behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Child protection professionals' resilience must be fostered by socio-ecological contexts, such as their workplace and employers, and additional supports are needed during the trying times of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Child Abuse as a Predictor of Alcohol Consumption Among Brazilian University Students.

Alcohol use among university students has received considerate attention in recent years due to its serious consequences. There is insufficient data in terms of the relationship between child abuse history and future use of alcohol in such a group. In addition, little is known about the effects of polyvictimization (lifetime multiple victimization experiences) on the consumption of these young adults. This study has examined whether a history of exposure to intimate partner violence (IPV) and/or child abuse is related to alcohol consumption. Particular attention was given to different forms of victimization (physical, psychological, sexual abuse, and exposure to IPV) occurring over the life of the individual. A questionnaire that underwent a process of adaptation in two pilot studies, incorporating the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) and questions about child abuse history, was used. The questionnaire was applied to 1,452 students in Brazil. Child abuse and polyvictimization were related to higher alcohol intake and binge consumption in the last 3 months. Physical, psychological, and exposure to IPV were polyvictimization forms with the most impact on alcohol consumption. The study points out the need to initiate prevention strategies among Brazilian university students for a decrease of harmful alcohol consumption, as well as prevention of family violence.

Technologies and Mental Health in University Students: An Unhealthy Combination

Abstract Introduction The exposure of medical students to a full-time schedule that includes classes, extracurricular activities, patients' lives responsibility, and great competition between classmates can interfere in emotional issues and in the sleep time. Objective The aim of the present study was to evaluate the sleep quality, and the incidence of anxiety and depression in medical school undergraduates as well as the relationship of these parameters with the intense use of technologies. Methods Fifty-five medical school undergraduates in their second year participated in the present study, answering questionnaires to evaluate sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index - PSQI), night-time use of technology (sleep time-related information and communication technology - STRICT), and signs of anxiety or depression (hospital anxiety and depression scale - HADS). Results The results showed 31 students (56.4%) with poor sleep quality (PSQI > 5). Based on the STRICT questionnaire, 36 (65.4%) of the participants referred to making use of technology at night-time; and 34 (61.8%) students had compatible anxiety score, while 14 (25.4%) had a compatible score for depression on the HADS questionnaire. There has been a correlation between poor sleep quality, the abuse of technologies before sleep time, and the presence of anxiety or depression. Conclusion The abuse of technology before sleep time reduced the sleep quality in the studied population, besides increasing the symptoms of anxiety and depression.