Leveraging Administrative Data to Better Understand and Address Child Maltreatment: A Scoping Review of Data Linkage Studies

Abstract

Background This scoping review aimed to overview studies that used administrative data linkage in the context of child maltreatment to improve our understanding of the value that data linkage may confer for policy, practice, and research. Methods We searched MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and ERIC electronic databases in June 2019 and May 2020 for studies that linked two or more datasets (at least one of which was administrative in nature) to study child maltreatment. We report findings with numerical and narrative summary. Results We included 121 studies, mainly from the United States or Australia and published in the past decade. Data came primarily from social services and health sectors, and linkage processes and data quality were often not described in sufficient detail to align with current reporting guidelines. Most studies were descriptive in nature and research questions addressed fell under eight themes: descriptive epidemiology, risk factors, outcomes, intergenerational transmission, predictive modelling, intervention/service evaluation, multi-sector involvement, and methodological considerations/advancements. Conclusions Included studies demonstrated the wide variety of ways in which data linkage can contribute to the public health response to child maltreatment. However, how research using linked data can be translated into effective service development and monitoring, or targeting of interventions, is underexplored in terms of privacy protection, ethics and governance, data quality, and evidence of effectiveness.

Current evidence and opportunities in child and adolescent public mental health: a research review

“…Child maltreatment is sadly not uncommon and has moderate to strong associations with the development of mental health difficulties and disorders (Carr, Duff, & Craddock, 2020; Gilbert et al., 2009). Whilst reducing maltreatment could therefore in theory have substantial positive impacts on child and adolescent mental health (Arango et al., 2018; Lund et al., 2018), evidence in this area is limited, perhaps due to the myriad methodological challenges of evaluating these interventions (MacMillan et al., 2009; Soneson, Das, et al., 2023; Soneson, Puntis, et al., 2023). However, a recent systematic review provides promising evidence, with over half of the included studies of child maltreatment‐focused interventions reporting improved mental health outcomes for children and/or their parents or carers (Waid, Cho, & Marsalis, 2022).…”

Intergenerational (Dis)continuity of Child Maltreatment: Variation by Parents’ Childhood Victimization Experiences and Sex

“…Our study utilizes population-based, prospective, longitudinal, linked administrative data. Although not without limitations, administrative data are recognized as a valuable resource in child maltreatment research (Soneson et al, 2022), and allow us to address several common methodological weaknesses evident in the intergenerational child maltreatment literature, such as cross-sectional designs, retrospective reporting, and non-generalizable samples (Madigan et al, 2019) . Moreover, our research expands the existing literature base in two key ways.…”

Why Are Child and Youth Welfare Support Services Initiated? A First-Time Analysis of Administrative Data on Child and Youth Welfare Services in Austria

“…The importance of using administrative data for research in the field of child and youth welfare has also been recognized despite its challenges. Nonetheless, the potential benefits of using administrative data for research in this area outweigh the difficulties, and a variety of data linkage methods have been identified that can facilitate this process [ 12 ].…”