Introduction:
The prevention of child abuse and neglect is an urgent matter given the serious effects of abuse and neglect persisting into adulthood, and the increased risk of the offspring of abused children being abusive themselves. Intervening as early as possible may prevent abuse that can begin in infancy. Although several systematic reviews and meta-analyses have investigated the effects of interventions on populations who are at increased risk for perpetrating child abuse and neglect, few studies have focused on women who are at increased risk for perpetrating child abuse and neglect or interventions that start during perinatal periods. This study aims to describe a systematic review to examine the effects of interventions to prevent child abuse and neglect that begin during pregnancy and immediately after childbirth (less than one year). The study will involve performing a systematic review and meta-analysis based on the latest research articles and a broader literature search.
Methods and analysis:
The protocol was prepared using the 2015 statement of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis Protocols. The review will follow Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis guidelines. The literature search will be performed using the MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials databases from inception onward. Randomized controlled trials of interventions that begin during pregnancy or the first year postpartum, designed to prevent child abuse and neglect in families who are at increased risk for these issues, will be included. Data collection, quality assessment, and statistical syntheses will be conducted by following the methods in the protocol that are predefined.
Ethics and dissemination:
This study does not require ethical approval. The findings will be presented at conferences and will be submitted to a peer-reviewed journal.
Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42021266462
Strengths and limitations of this study
- This study will systematically review and analyze evidence on the effectiveness of interventions to prevent child abuse and neglect among pregnant and postpartum women.
- This study will investigate a broader range of electronic bibliographic databases, including MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Embase, and CENTRAL, using a systematic search strategy.
- The study will be based on the latest articles, and the publication period will not be limited.
- As we will only include peer-reviewed articles written in English, a publication bias may occur that excludes related research published in other languages and gray literature.
- We will only access limited databases, and furthermore, using different methods to assess child abuse and neglect may cause heterogeneity among studies.