BACKGROUND: Early intervention may prevent maltreatment during infancy. This study examined the effectiveness of interventions initiated during the perinatal period to prevent child abuse and neglect.
METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases for articles published before February 2023. Randomized controlled trials of interventions that began during pregnancy or within the first year postpartum, aimed at preventing child abuse and neglect in at-risk families, were included. The risk of bias in each study was evaluated using RoB 2. Outcomes from each study were combined using random-effects meta-analysis. The certainty of the evidence was assessed using the GRADE approach.
FINDINGS: A total of 1746 articles were assessed for eligibility; 56 reports from international sources met the inclusion criteria, and 32 reports were included in the meta-analysis. Nineteen intervention studies based on 25 reports provided results regarding child maltreatment, and the overall risk ratio of the meta-analysis at the time of final reporting (evaluation period: 4-225 months) was 0.92 (95 % confidence interval [CI]: 0.79-1.07). In subgroup analysis by intervention type, the risk ratio for comprehensive support was 1.74 (95 % CI: 1.05-2.87).
INTERPRETATION: Few studies have demonstrated the overall effectiveness of abuse prevention interventions for pregnant women with psychosocial risks. The timing and severity of child maltreatment reports must be considered, as they may reflect the effectiveness of early detection in preventing more serious future abuse.
Oversett med Google Translate
-
