P080 - Psychological treatments in child abuse and maltreatment: a systematic review

• In Event: Poster Session & Ice Cream Social

Abstract

The World Health Organization’s term “child maltreatment” refers to abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18. It includes any kind of physical and/or emotional abuse, sexual abuse, neglect, and exploitation for commercial or other purposes that impact on the development or dignity of the child in a relationship of responsibility, trust, or power. Data show that an increasing number of children worldwide are victims or witnesses of violence, and children are defined as “vulnerable victims” by virtue of their ongoing psycho-physical and identity development. This study is a systematic literature review of the most effective clinical interventions for abused and/or maltreated children. For this purpose, the string used for the search was: (adolescen* OR child*) AND (abuse OR maltreatment OR neglect OR violence) AND (psychological support OR psychotherapy OR psychological treatment OR psychological therapy OR psychological intervention). Databases such as PubMed/MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Web of Science, Scopus and CINAHL were screened. After removal of duplicates, 5271 articles in English and Italian were selected for screening. Based on the selected inclusion criteria (such as, for example, that the psychological intervention must have been carried out on victims under 18 years and not on adults with a history of abuse), and on screening of title and abstract, after a double-blind analysis, a total of 388 articles were included.

Authors

• Jessica Burrai, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Jessica Burrai, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Cricenti Clarissa, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.

• Ginevra Tagliaferri, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome

• Emanuela Mari, Sapienza, University of Rome

• Giannini Anna Maria, Department of Psychology, “Sapienza” University of Rome.