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The impact of SARS-Co-V pandemic on violence against children: one institution’s experience

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Abstract

Violence against children (VAC) is a global issue due to its biological, psychological, and social effects. Research in this field is valuable for understanding unknown aspects of VAC and for defining updated intervention strategies. Until now, there have been no clear indications about the possible effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on VAC. In this study, the authors compared quantitative and qualitative variables of pre-pandemic and pandemic cases evaluated at an Italian center specialized in VAC. The aims were to determine if the cases referred for VAC changed during the pandemic and if there were statistically significant differences in variables’ distributions between pre-pandemic and pandemic periods. The referrals during the first 13 months of the 2020 SARS-CoV-2 pandemic were compared to cases referred over 13 months (2018–2019) to the same center. The analysis showed no statistical differences between age distributions and most qualitative variables. A decrease in the number of cases was observed. The comparison of frequency distributions of most variables between pre and post-pandemic samples did not differ. The most important result of the analysis is that the volume of observed VAC cases decreased during the pandemic period, confirming the indications of the scientific literature. It could not be excluded that the decrease was due to the negative impact of the pandemic on the child protection system. The above data could help develop innovative prevention tools and corrective intervention programs for future emergencies.

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The authors did not receive support from any organization for the submitted work.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, Section of Legal Medicine, University of Turin, Corso Galileo Galilei 22 - 10126, Turin, Italy

    Francesco Lupariello & Lucia Tattoli

  2. Legal Medicine Unit of the Azienda Sanitaria Locale Torino 4 (ASLTO4), via Po 11, Chivasso, 10034, TO, Italy

    Giuliana Mattioda

  3. Department of Paediatric Emergency and Acceptance of the “A.O.U. Città della Salute e della Scienza”, Corso Bramante 88-89, Torino, 10126, Italy

    Barbara Lauria, Sonia Aguzzi, Sara Simona Racalbuto, Emanuele Castagno & Claudia Bondone

Authors
  1. Francesco Lupariello
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  2. Lucia Tattoli
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  3. Giuliana Mattioda
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  4. Barbara Lauria
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  5. Sonia Aguzzi
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  6. Sara Simona Racalbuto
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  7. Emanuele Castagno
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  8. Claudia Bondone
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Correspondence to Lucia Tattoli.

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Lupariello, F., Tattoli, L., Mattioda, G. et al. The impact of SARS-Co-V pandemic on violence against children: one institution’s experience. Forensic Sci Med Pathol 21, 165–172 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-024-00890-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12024-024-00890-9

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