Abstract
Child maltreatment, especially during health crises, is a major public health issue transcending cultural, social, and racial contexts. We assessed the sociodemographic and related risk factors associated with the types and rates of child maltreatment. We also assessed the economic, social, and environmental characteristics of child maltreatment victims and their perpetrators, as they were reported to the Saudi National Family Safety Program (NFSP), with consideration of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact. A secondary data analysis of a retrospective review was conducted to compare types and rates before and during the COVID-19 outbreak, utilizing descriptive and multivariate analyses on anonymized data from the NFSP. According to a predetermined list of relevant risk factors for child maltreatment outlined by the NFSP, these anonymized data were obtained and analyzed with no exclusion criteria (n = 1304). The findings showed that a child’s age correlated significantly and positively with their odds of being physically maltreated; as a child’s age increased by one year, on average, their corresponding predicted odds of being physically maltreatment tended to rise by a factor equal to 7.6% (p < 0.001). Neglected children, compared to those who had not been previously neglected, were predicted to be almost twice (2.23 times more) as likely to be victims of physical maltreatment on average (p < 0.001). Children were notably more likely to experience sexual abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic than those exposed to abuse during the period before (1.69 times). The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with significantly lower odds of physical child maltreatment (47.7% less). This study found no statistically significant effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on children’s odds of being emotionally maltreated (p = 0.169). These findings support the existence of specific risk factors for child maltreatment for both child victims and perpetrators. They also attest to the significant differences between different types of maltreatment. A systematic, proactive system is needed to screen and document child maltreatment with a higher degree of integration with community reporting systems.
Highlights
Child maltreatment is a major health concern with an uncertain prevalence
Data published by Meinck Cluver, and Boyes [26] showed a positive correlation between sexual abuse and household size; in their review, these authors found that families containing many people were associated with sexual abuse, whereas our results indicated that household size is not a significantly predictor of sexual abuse
Our findings showed that tendencies toward increased vulnerabilities for physical maltreatment-related factors have existed during the COVID-19 pandemic
Summary
Child maltreatment is a major health concern with an uncertain prevalence. The recognition of the importance of identifying, describing, and documenting suspected and confirmed cases of child maltreatment has been increasing both nationally and internationally [1]. Saudi Arabia has become more aware of child maltreatment, as the public has sought to better understand this phenomenon. Reports indicate that children are subjected to physical punishment with varying degrees of severity. These acts of maltreatment, possibly performed as acts of child discipline, are engendered by a society that values child obedience and the positive effects of discipline [3]. The successful implementation of an intervention system, which includes child protection centers at medical facilities and required reporting and data gathering measures, has contributed to an increasing awareness of child maltreatment and abuse in Saudi Arabia. The shift in public perception toward a better understanding of child maltreatment has aided in the detection and reporting of neglect [4]
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