Background

Media outlets have suggested that rates of child maltreatment may increase during the global COVID-19 pandemic. The few empirical studies that have examined pandemic related changes in rates of child maltreatment have relied predominantly on reports of suspected maltreatment.

Objective

This study examines rates of documented, substantiated child maltreatment resulting in foster care placement, as well as demographic correlates of child maltreatment within the foster care system, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Participants and setting

Data were available for all youth in the FL foster care system from January 1, 2001 through June 30, 2020 (i.e., > 304,000 youth; > 1.1 million total placements).

Methods

This study utilizes data from the Florida State Automated Child Welfare Information System (SACWIS).

Results

Results revealed a decrease in the number of youths placed in the FL foster care system during the COVID-19 pandemic with the greatest reduction in April, 2020 during the Safer-at-Home Order (24% fewer youth in 2020 than 2019). In contrast, the percentage of placements into foster care due to maltreatment increased by 3.34%. Demographic-linked differences were observed in placement rates and exposure to maltreatment.

Conclusions

While prior work suggests that reports of child maltreatment have decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic, this study demonstrates that overall rates of substantiated maltreatment resulting in foster care placement have increased for White youth, while rates of placement of due to inadequate supervision, emotional neglect, and/or parental substance use have decreased for Black youth. Implications for policy and future research are discussed.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 时期的儿童虐待：围绕 COVID-19 居家安全令的佛罗里达寄养系统的变化

背景

媒体机构表示，在全球 COVID-19 大流行期间，儿童虐待率可能会增加。为数不多的检验与大流行相关的儿童虐待率变化的实证研究主要依赖于疑似虐待的报告。

客观的

这项研究调查了在 COVID-19 大流行之前和期间导致寄养安置的有记录的、经证实的儿童虐待率，以及寄养系统内儿童虐待的人口统计相关性。

参与者和设置

可获得 2001 年 1 月 1 日至 2020 年 6 月 30 日期间 FL 寄养系统中所有青年的数据（即 > 304,000 名青年；> 110 万总安置）。

方法

本研究使用来自佛罗里达州自动儿童福利信息系统 (SACWIS) 的数据。

结果

结果显示，在 COVID-19 大流行期间，安置在佛罗里达州寄养系统的青少年人数有所减少，2020 年 4 月在居家安全令期间减少幅度最大（2020 年的青少年人数比 2019 年减少 24%）。相比之下，因虐待而被安置到寄养机构的比例增加了 3.34%。在安置率和遭受虐待方面观察到与人口统计学相关的差异。

结论

虽然之前的工作表明，在 COVID-19 大流行期间虐待儿童的报告有所减少，但这项研究表明，白人青年的经证实的虐待导致寄养安置的总体比率有所增加，而由于监督不足、情感忽视，和/或黑人青年使用父母物质的情况有所减少。讨论了对政策和未来研究的影响。