Child maltreatment: pathway to chronic and long-term conditions?

Julie Taylor, Caroline Bradbury-Jones, Anne Lazenbatt, Francesca Soliman

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

7 Citations (Scopus)
169 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

The manifesto Start Well, Live Better by the UK Faculty of Public Health (2014) sets out twelve compelling priorities for the protection of people’s health. The focus of this document is preventative, calling for a comprehensive strategy to target a wide-ranging set of challenges to public health; however, it fails to mention child maltreatment and its negative impact on long-term health outcomes.
In this article we explore the long-term negative consequences of child maltreatment and how these can be conceptually aligned with four different characteristics of long-term health conditions. We suggest that situating child maltreatment within a long-term conditions framework could have significant advantages and implications for practice, policy and research, by strengthening a commitment across disciplines to apply evidence-based principles linked with policy and evaluation, and recognising the chronic effects of maltreatment to concentrate public, professional and government awareness of the extent and impact of the issue.
We argue that a public health approach is the most effective way of focusing preventative efforts on the long-term sequelae of child maltreatment and to foster cooperation in promoting children’s rights to grow and develop in a safe and caring environment free from violence and abuse.
Original languageEnglish
JournalJournal of Public Health
Early online date27 Aug 2015
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2015

Keywords

  • child maltreatment
  • chronic disease
  • management and policy

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