Primary Care Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Authors

Michael J. Barry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts.
Wanda K. Nicholson, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Michael Silverstein, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
David Chelmow, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
Tumaini Rucker Coker, University of Washington, Seattle.
Esa M. Davis, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore.
Carlos Roberto Jaén, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
M Tonette Krousel-Wood, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sei Lee, University of California, San Francisco.
Li Li, University of Virginia, Charlottesville.
Goutham Rao, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
John M. Ruiz, University of Arizona, Tucson.
James J. Stevermer, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Joel Tsevat, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
Sandra Millon Underwood, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Sarah Wiehe, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-19-2024

Journal

JAMA

Volume

331

Issue

11

DOI

10.1001/jama.2024.1869

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: Child maltreatment, which includes child abuse and neglect, can have profound effects on health, development, survival, and well-being throughout childhood and adulthood. The prevalence of child maltreatment in the US is uncertain and likely underestimated. In 2021, an estimated 600 000 children were identified by Child Protective Services as experiencing abuse or neglect and an estimated 1820 children died of abuse and neglect. OBJECTIVE: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) commissioned a systematic review to evaluate benefits and harms of primary care-feasible or referable behavioral counseling interventions to prevent child maltreatment in children and adolescents younger than 18 years without signs or symptoms of maltreatment. POPULATION: Children and adolescents younger than 18 years who do not have signs or symptoms of or known exposure to maltreatment. EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT: The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient to determine the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment in children and adolescents younger than 18 years without signs or symptoms of or known exposure to maltreatment. RECOMMENDATION: The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment. (I statement).

APA Citation

Barry, Michael J.; Nicholson, Wanda K.; Silverstein, Michael; Chelmow, David; Coker, Tumaini Rucker; Davis, Esa M.; Jaén, Carlos Roberto; Krousel-Wood, M Tonette; Lee, Sei; Li, Li; Rao, Goutham; Ruiz, John M.; Stevermer, James J.; Tsevat, Joel; Underwood, Sandra Millon; and Wiehe, Sarah, "Primary Care Interventions to Prevent Child Maltreatment: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement" (2024). GW Authored Works. Paper 4505.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/4505

Department

Prevention and Community Health