Systematic Review of Child Abuse Perpetrators Worldwide: Characteristics and Risk Factors

Abstract

Child abuse is a part of violence and maltreatment towards a child. It has led to many immediate and longterm consequences. The factors pertaining to the perpetrators of physical and emotional abuse were least explored in the literature. The aim of this systematic review is to comprehend the factors of vulnerability among the perpetrators of child abuse, and to identify the most common reported characteristics of child abuse perpetrators in the literature globally. A systematic search of articles published between 2013 and 2018 was conducted in several databases (Scopus, Ovid Medline, EBSCOhost and Google Scholar). Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The risk factors and characteristics of child abuse perpetrators are classified into three different levels; individual, relationship and community. The most common reported characteristics are at the individual level. Family background plays an important role in determining the risk of being a child abuse perpetrator. Low socioeconomic status of the family is the prominent contributing risk factor for abusing own children.