Faculty of Psychology, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China; Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, Department of Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
School of Public Health, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China; Department of Population Health Science and Policy, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2024 Aug;154:106873. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106873. Epub 2024 Jun 8.
Recent studies suggest that children and adolescents are at an increased risk of experiencing violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is limited knowledge about the prevalence of violence against children and adolescents across different regions in the world.
To estimate the pooled prevalence of violence against children and adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic and explore how geographical and methodological factors explain the variation across studies.
We conducted a systematic search of MEDLINE, Embase, and PsycInfo databases for articles published from January 1, 2020 to October 1, 2022. The study protocol was pre-registered with PROSPERO (CRD42022338181). We included published and unpublished studies available in English that reported the prevalence of violence (e.g., physical, emotional, or sexual violence, neglect, bullying) against children and adolescents (age <18 years) during the pandemic. Data extraction followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 2740 nonduplicate titles and abstracts were screened, and 217 full-text articles were reviewed for eligibility.
Twenty-five studies with 66,637 participants met inclusion criteria. Based on random-effects meta-analysis, the pooled prevalence of violence against children and adolescents was 24 % (95%CI 18 %-30 %). The reported prevalence was higher in studies conducted in low- and middle-income countries compared to high-income countries.
Over one in five children and adolescents globally reported ever experiencing violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings highlight the urgent need for effective child protection policies and interventions, as well as multisectoral collaboration, to reduce violence against children and adolescents.
最近的研究表明，儿童和青少年在 COVID-19 大流行期间面临更高的暴力风险。然而，对于世界各地不同地区针对儿童和青少年的暴力行为的流行率，我们知之甚少。
评估 COVID-19 大流行期间针对儿童和青少年的暴力行为的总体流行率，并探讨地理和方法因素如何解释研究之间的差异。
我们对 MEDLINE、Embase 和 PsycInfo 数据库进行了系统检索，以获取 2020 年 1 月 1 日至 2022 年 10 月 1 日期间发表的文章。该研究方案已在 PROSPERO（CRD42022338181）上预先注册。我们纳入了以英文发表的已发表和未发表的研究，这些研究报告了大流行期间针对儿童和青少年（年龄<18 岁）的暴力行为（例如身体、情感或性暴力、忽视、欺凌）的流行率。数据提取遵循系统评价和荟萃分析的首选报告项目（PRISMA）指南。共筛选了 2740 篇非重复标题和摘要，并对 217 篇全文文章进行了资格审查。
25 项研究纳入了 66637 名参与者，符合纳入标准。基于随机效应荟萃分析，针对儿童和青少年的暴力行为的总体流行率为 24%（95%CI 18%-30%）。在中低收入国家进行的研究报告的流行率高于高收入国家。
全球有超过五分之一的儿童和青少年报告在 COVID-19 大流行期间曾经历过暴力行为。我们的研究结果强调了迫切需要制定有效的儿童保护政策和干预措施，以及多部门合作，以减少针对儿童和青少年的暴力行为。
