Abuse and neglect

The traumatic impact of abuse and neglect increases the likelihood of children developing a range of mental health issues – both during childhood and in later life. These include anxiety, depression, eating disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Norman et al, 2012; Spatz Widom, 1999).

Specific types of abuse may be connected to certain mental health issues. Children who have experienced emotional abuse may be more likely to develop anxiety and depression compared with children who have experienced other types of abuse (Cecil et al, 2017; Gavin 2011). One study found that almost three quarters (74%) of young people who had experienced sexual assault developed PTSD (Lewis et al, 2019).

Abuse and neglect can also make children more vulnerable to developing more than one mental health condition at one time (known as composite mental health issues) (Chandan et al, 2019).

Providing effective mental health support for children who have experienced abuse and neglect can help them recover from its effects (NSPCC, 2019b).

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-health-development/child-mental-health#heading-top

Eamon McCrory, Professor of Developmental Neuroscience and Psychopathology, UCL

What the research tells us

Over the last decade, scientists have been documenting changes to children’s threat, memory and emotion regulation systems brought about by their experience of abuse and neglect.

Research has shown us that changes to the brain associated with mental health vulnerability can be measured before a child shows a diagnosable problem.

Ongoing research

In 2017 the NSPCC and the ESRC also awarded four research grants, one of which went to a longitudinal brain imaging study led by Professor Eamon McCrory at UCL.

Now in its third year, the study is looking at how childhood maltreatment affects the way children process reward.

The brain’s reward system helps us learn about positive aspects of our environment, motivates behaviour, and guides decision-making. We know that a range of mental health problems, in particular depression, are associated with irregular reward processing.

How the study will help

By learning more about how reward is affected by abuse and neglect, and how to measure those changes, we will be in a better position to develop preventative help to reduce the likelihood of mental health problems emerging.

The ongoing research aims to develop reliable tasks for an early screening tool to predict vulnerability to later mental health problems.

Initial data from the study is being analysed and UCL hope to publish their first studies by the end of the year.

Using research to benefit children

With the Childhood Trauma and the Brain resources, UCL are making neuroscience research more accessible.

Building a bridge between neuroscience and practice will mean everyone – social workers, parents and carers, teachers and researchers – working together to develop better, more effective and evidence-based models of preventative help for children.

“As a neuroscientist and clinician, I have seen first-hand how hard it can be for frontline carers and professionals to access accurate and up-to-date information from neuroscience research on abuse and neglect. This seems a great shame given the painstaking work being undertaken by many research groups across the world. Much of the valuable knowledge they produce often ends up locked away in scientific journals.”

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2020/september/making-neuroscience-more-accessible

This week, we’re celebrating twenty years of CASPAR, our free weekly email alert containing all the developments in child protection policy, research, practice and guidance.

Since its launch in October 2000, CASPAR has contributed to sharing safeguarding information and improving practice. Over 1000 weekly alerts have been written and sent out – more than 20,000 hours of work scanning and summarising essential safeguarding knowledge and guidance.

Helping you stay up-to-date in a changing landscape

Over the last twenty years, there have been many changes impacting on children and child protection policies and guidance, including:

• 7 government administrations and 10 ministers for children in Westminster
• 5 government administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales
• 5 new versions of statutory guidance for England, Working Together to Safeguard Children.

More recently, CASPAR has helped professionals across the UK keep on top of the evolving and fast-moving safeguarding guidance due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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“CASPAR is invaluable in keeping up to date with safeguarding matters. Wouldn’t be without it.”

https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/news/2020/october/celebrating-20-years-caspar-safeguarding-email-alert