The purpose of this study was to identify changes in family conflict and abuse dynamics during COVID-19 stay-at-home orders from the perspectives of youth calling a national child abuse hotline. We analyzed text and chat transcripts from Childhelp’s National Child Abuse Hotline from May–June 2020 that were flagged as coming from a child with a COVID-19-related concern (N = 105). Thematic analysis was used to identify COVID-19 related influences of family conflict as well as how COVID-19 constraints influenced coping and survival for youth reporting distress or maltreatment to the hotline. Family conflict most commonly disclosed stemmed from parental or child mental health concerns, often manifesting in escalated child risk taking behaviors, parental substance use, and violence in the home. Conflict was also mentioned surrounding caregiver issues with child productivity while sheltering-in-place, commonly related to school or chores. Youth often voiced feeling unable to find relief from family conflict, exacerbated from physical distance from alternative social supports, technological isolation, and limited contact with typical safe places or supportive adults. To cope and survive, youth and crisis counselors found creative home-based coping skills and alternative reporting mechanisms. Understanding the unique impact of COVID-19 on youth in homes with family conflict and abuse can point to areas for intervention to ensure we are protecting the most vulnerable as many continue to shelter-in-place. In particular, this study revealed the importance of online hotlines and reporting mechanisms to allow more youth to seek out the help and professional support they need.

本研究的目的是从拨打国家虐待儿童热线的年轻人的角度确定 COVID-19 居家令期间家庭冲突和虐待动态的变化。我们分析了 2020 年 5 月至 6 月 Childhelp 的国家虐待儿童热线的文本和聊天记录，这些记录被标记为来自有 COVID-19 相关问题的儿童 (N = 105)。主题分析用于确定家庭冲突对 COVID-19 的相关影响，以及 COVID-19 限制如何影响向热线报告痛苦或虐待的青少年的应对和生存。最常披露的家庭冲突源于父母或儿童的心理健康问题，通常表现为儿童冒险行为升级、父母药物使用和家庭暴力。还提到了在就地避难时照顾者与儿童生产力问题的冲突，这通常与学校或家务有关。青少年经常表示无法从家庭冲突中找到解脱的感觉，与其他社会支持的物理距离、技术隔离以及与典型的安全场所或支持性成年人的接触有限而加剧了这种感觉。为了应对和生存，青年和危机顾问发现了创造性的家庭应对技巧和替代报告机制。了解 COVID-19 对家庭冲突和虐待家庭中的青年的独特影响可以指出需要干预的领域，以确保我们保护最弱势群体，因为许多人继续就地避难。尤其是，