Child Maltreatment

The Problem

What is child maltreatment (CM)?

● Any form of abuse or neglect inflicted on a child less than 18 years of age

● It encompasses all types of physical, verbal, emotional, or sexual abuse, negligence, exploitation, or witnessing violence in the home

● Underreporting

● Consequences of CM can be long-term

● Reports are falsely attributed to falls, burns, accidental injuries

● Medical personnel are undertrained to identify abuse

Purpose

To determine if a relationship exists between CM and academic performance and if such maltreatment causes deficits in learning and achievement of the school-aged child

Research Question

What is the relationship between child maltreatment and academic performance

in school-aged children?

Background & Significance

● CM is a difficult topic to research

● Delay in identification

● High risk for academic deficits

● Young brain can’t compartmentalize well

● Need for intentional interventions

Some Statistics

● Most recent data estimates 702,000 victims of child maltreatment annually

● Of the total child homicides annually 1,580 are documented and confirmed deaths related to abuse or neglect.

● 70% of deaths by abuse were to children < 3 years of age

● Boys had higher death rates than girls

● 90% of the deaths were to Caucasian children

● 79% of deaths were by at least one parent

Victim Characteristics

● African American children have the highest rate of maltreatment

● American-Indian or Alaskan Native children hold the second highest rate of maltreatment

● Neglect has the most significant impact

● Poverty impacts development

Influential Factors for Success

● Primary caregiver role

● Group involvement (i.e. afterschool activities)

● Mentoring/tutoring programs

● School setting

● School personnel

Theoretical Framework

● Theory of Cognitive Development by Jean Piaget

● Published in the 1920’s

● The nature and development of human intelligence

● Four stages: Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational

● Interruption by trauma may lead to issues with cognitive development

Methods

● PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, SCOPUS, ClinicalKey, & Nursing Reference Center

● Articles dated from 2006 to 2016

● Child maltreatment

● Academic achievement

● Guidelines for research critique

Inclusion

● Academic function as a result of child maltreatment

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