Child Abuse Prevention Programs Essays -- Child Development

Introduction Child maltreatment is a pervasive problem in the United States, as well as other countries. Child maltreatment touches everyone, from the child to the nurse that cares for the child to the entire community. I have chosen to research this problem because of its far reaching effects on the community and its preventable nature. Research on prevention Research on the prevention of child maltreatment focuses on home visitation programs, abusive head trauma prevention programs, and parent training programs (Krugman, Lane, & Walsh, 2007). Mikton and Butchart (2009) also concluded that there are four promising intervention, which include: home visitation, parent education, abusive head trauma education, and programs that have multi-components. Krugman, Lane, and Walsh (2007) note that it has been hard to test the effectiveness of these programs because many programs have not integrated robust program evaluation or meticulous research methodology. Interestingly, laws banning corporal punishment have been looked at as a prevention technique. Sweden was the first country to ban corporal punishment of child by any caregiver and research found that there was a reduction of infant mortality from child abuse (Krugman, Lane, & Walsh, 2007). However, Roberts states that it was not the ban but the change in the attitude towards corporal punishment that caused the reduction in child abuse (as cited in Mikton & Butchart, 2009). Parent education programs, community child abuse prevention programs, abusive head trauma programs are all promising, however, they have not been studied well. It has been shown that these all decrease the risk factors for child abuse; nonetheless, there is insufficient evidence that these programs ... ... Care Professionals. Pediatrics, 127(4), 962-969. Hien, D., Cohen, L. R., Caldeira, N. A., Flom, P., & Wasserman, G. (2010). Depression and anger as risk factors underlying the relationship between maternal substance involvement and child abuse potential. Child Abuse and Neglect, 34, 105-113. Krugman, S. D., Lane, W. G., & Walsh, C. M. (2007). Update on child abuse prevention. Current Opinion in Pediatrics, 19, 711-718. Leventhal, J. M., Martin, K. D., & Gaither, J. R. (2012). Using US Data to Estimate the Incidence of Serious Physical Abuse in Children . Pediatrics, 129, 458-464. Mikton, C., & Butchart, A. (2009). Child maltreatment prevention: a systematic review or reviews. Bulletin of World Health Organization, 87, 353-361. Newton, A. W., & Vandeven, A. M. (2010). Child abuse and neglect: a worldwide concern. Cerrent Opinion Pediatrics, 22, 226-233.