Child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic-Prospect, risk and factors: A narrative review

ABSTRACT

This narrative review focuses on the risk of child abuse, the determinants of child maltreatment during the Covid-19 outbreak and the conceivable psycho-social impact of child abuse. Literature was retrieved from Scopus, PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science along with Google Scholar, and reports from various sources with no time and context restrictions. The narrative analysis of all pertinent records shows that the risk of abuse towards children has spiked during the Covid-19 outbreak, especially sexual abuse and neglect. Prolonged living inside of homes, school closures, limited contact, unemployment, domestic violence, poor access to health care, and related social stressors have impacted on the rates of child abuse during the Covid-19 outbreak. These maltreated children may experience poor interpersonal relationships, problematic coping behaviours, and depressive disorders across their life span. These findings point to context-specific outcomes and protective measures that could assist prospective researches and guide policies. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)