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Citation
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Ortiz R, Kishton R, Sinko L, Fingerman M, Moreland D, Wood J, Venkataramani A. JAMA Pediatr. 2021; ePub(ePub): ePub. |
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Abstract
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Experts are concerned about increasing child distress and maltreatment alongside decreasing exposure to mandated child abuse reporters, such as teachers, during the COVID-19 pandemic.1 Hotlines may serve as alternate means to identify family violence and support at-risk children. This study assessed the volume of calls and texts to a national child abuse hotline during the pandemic compared with the prior year.
This cross-sectional study was conducted using restricted-access data from Childhelp, the only national hotline with a primary focus on child abuse and neglect. Childhelp has offered 24-hour multilingual counseling across all US states via phone call inquiries from youth and concerned adults since 1982 and via text message since 2019....
In this national study, overall inquiries by phone call and text message to a child abuse hotline increased following school closures and quarantine orders associated with the COIVD-19 pandemic compared with overall inquiries in 2019. This may reflect a higher rate of child-related distress and maltreatment. After a dramatic decrease in calls during the immediate postclosure period, call volume rebounded by May 2020, and use of texts steadily increased. Decreased exposure to school-based mandated reporters may have contributed to the initial call decrease. Text messaging, a child- and teenager-friendly modality, expanded during the postclosure period, pointing to potential self-advocacy...
Language: en |