Parental stress and physical violence against children during the second year of the COVID-19 pandemic: results of a population-based survey in Germany

Abstract

Background Parents and caregivers belonged to those with the highest burdens during the COVID-pandemic. Considering the close link between parental stress and child maltreatment, identifying families with high parental stress is of utmost importance to prevent violence against children. Within this study, we thus aimed to investigate the interplay of parental stress, changes in parental stress, and physical violence against children during the second year of the COVID-pandemic on an exploratory level. Methods We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study in Germany from July to October 2021. By using different sampling steps, a representative probability sample of the German population was generated. A subsample of these participants with children under the age of 18 was included for analysis within this study (N = 453, 60.3% females, Mage = 40.08; SD = 8.53). Results Higher parental stress levels were associated with more physical violence against children, higher levels of own experiences of child maltreatment, and mental health symptoms. An increase in parental stress during the pandemic was associated with female sex, the use of physical violence against children, and parental experience of child maltreatment. Parents who have ever used physical violence against their children have been characterized by higher parental stress levels, a stronger increase in parental stress during the pandemic, own experience of child maltreatment, mental health symptoms and sociodemographic characteristics. Higher parental stress levels, a stronger increase of parental stress during the pandemic, having pre-existing psychiatric disorders, and parental experience of child maltreatment predicted an increased use of physical violence against children during the pandemic. Conclusions Our results underscore the importance of parental stress for the risk of physical violence against children, more so in times of overall increased stress due to the pandemic and underline the need for low threshold support for families at risk in times of crises.

How do Climate Change and Environmental Degradation contribute to Violence against Children?

“…While we cannot generalize from the above case studies in regard to climate related mobility, scholarship has largely established that parents who are generally under extreme pressure are also more likely to perpetrate violence on their children (e.g. : Geprägs et al, 2023;Whipple & Webster-Stratton, 1991). Also, research on non-climate related refugee settlements and camps highlights an increase in parental VAC due to PTSD (Hecker et al, 2022).…”

Rethinking neurodevelopmental care through caregiver skills training on a global scale: A compelling need

“…Email: olivier.fortin2@mail.mcgill.ca Children and young people with cerebral palsy (CP) have higher urgent care use than their peers in the general population, 1,2 which is further increased in patients with lower socioeconomic status (SES) and higher care complexity. Paget et al 3 document an inverse association between continuity of care and urgent care use. In other groups of children with complex care needs, improved care coordination was associated with reduced use of urgent care and health services.…”

“…Amidst this alarming figure, children with disabilities were significantly more likely to face various types of abuse, being 3.76 times more susceptible to neglect, 3.79 times more prone to physical abuse, and 3.14 times more likely to endure sexual abuse 2 . The ongoing COVID‐19 pandemic has further exacerbated this dire situation, as underscored by Geprägs et al 3 It is crucial to acknowledge that caregiving is a skill set not necessarily inherent to caregivers, especially parents. Nevertheless, these skills are pivotal for the welfare of families and the holistic development of their dependents, whether they have neurodevelopmental challenges or not.…”

Adverse childhood experiences are associated with perceived cognitive difficulties among high school students in the United States

“…There can be a generational pattern of adverse experiences, neglect, and deprivation in that parents with high ACE scores are more likely to engage in child neglect, verbal abuse, and reduced feeding frequency, especially during periods of unpredictability and stress such as the COVID-19 pandemic ( Narayan et al, 2021 ; Rowell and Neal-Barnett, 2022 ; Arowolo et al, 2023 ). In an observational study conducted in Germany, increases in paternal stress during the pandemic and parental experience of their own childhood maltreatment were associated with the use of violence against their children ( Geprägs et al, 2023 ). Among high school students in the United States, after adjusting for demographic characteristics, adolescents who reported experiencing four or more ACEs during the pandemic were four times as likely to report poor mental health within the past month and they were 25 times more likely to attempt suicide compared to students who did not report any ACEs ( Anderson et al, 2022 ).…”