Child Maltreatment
About Child Maltreatment
Types of child maltreatment
How common is it?
What causes it?
How long does it last?
What treatments are effective?
A review of the evidence

What treatments are effective?

Many infants and young children who are exposed to maltreatment in the home develop insecure attachment, particularly disorganized attachment, which can cause emotional, psychological, and social problems for the child in the future.There is some evidence that interventions consisting of infant-parent psychotherapy or psychoeducational parenting programs can change the mothers’ behaviour and attitudes towards her child, and alter  the infant or child’s attachment status. [1]

For children who have been sexually abused, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) was found to be effective in most studies assessed in a systematic review.  Those who benefited the most were younger children who received at least 12 sessions accompanied by a non-abusing parent or caregiver.  However, the evidence from high quality studies for the effectiveness of any treatment for sexually abused children was limited. [2,3]

^top