Prevalence of reported violence in children and adolescents in the clinical work of health professionals: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the prevalence of reporting and notification of violence in children and adolescents in the work of clinical health professionals. The search was performed in six electronic databases and the gray literature for studies published until June 1, 2022. Estimates of interest were calculated using random effects meta-analyses. Two reviewers independently evaluated the potentially eligible studies according to the following criteria: cross-sectional studies carried out with health professionals who provided clinical care for children and adolescents and dealt with violence cases. Two reviewers extracted data on included trial characteristics, methods, and outcomes. Expectations of interest were transformed using random effects meta-analyses. The meta-analysis of the prevalence of reports of violence performed with 42 articles was 41%. The notification meta-analysis occurred with 39 articles and was 30%. About one in two health professionals face situations of violence against children and adolescents in their clinical practice (41%), and approximately one in three health professionals report the cases (30%).