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Life sciences · Journal article
Child Abuse & Neglect · September 9, 2026
Early or partial results. Treat as a signal, not a conclusion.
This scoping review of 27 Canadian studies documents conflicting signals in child maltreatment epidemiology during COVID-19: administrative data show fewer child protection referrals and hospital visits, but police reports indicate increased family violence against children. The evidence is substantially limited by methodological heterogeneity, non-representative sampling, unstandardized measurement, and absence of pre-pandemic comparators, such that the true pandemic impact remains unclear.
Scoping review. Canadian studies of child maltreatment and harsh parenting during the COVID-19 pandemic; 27 studies included. Canada.
81.5% of 27 included studies reported on child maltreatment Administrative data indicated fewer referrals to child protection services and hospital visits during the pandemic Police-reported family violence against children showed increases during the pandemic
Safety was not reported in the material analysed. Check the source before drawing any conclusion about harm.
Clinicians and public health professionals should recognize that pandemic-era child maltreatment data in Canada are conflicting and methodologically limited; apparent drops in referrals and hospital visits may reflect reduced access or reporting rather than true decreases in harm. Strengthened surveillance infrastructure and standardized measurement are needed before reliable conclusions can guide practice.
A scoping review summarizing heterogeneous Canadian studies on child maltreatment during COVID-19, limited by non-representative samples, unstandardized measures, and lack of pre-pandemic baseline data, identifying gaps rather than establishing robust evidence.
As stated by the source record.
Quoted from the source exactly as published.
Clinicians and public health professionals should recognize that pandemic-era child maltreatment data in Canada are conflicting and methodologically limited; apparent drops in referrals and hospital visits may reflect reduced access or reporting rather than true decreases in harm. Strengthened surveillance infrastructure and standardized measurement are needed before reliable conclusions can guide practice.
Graded across the dimensions that decide whether you should act, each from what the source actually supports. There is no single score, and where a dimension was not assessed it says so.
Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused widespread disruptions to social relationships and caregiving responsibilities, potentially modifying risks for child maltreatment (CM) and harsh parenting (HP). However, the impact of the pandemic on the epidemiology of CM and HP is unclear. Objective The objectives of this scoping review were to summarize evidence on the epidemiology of CM and HP in Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic, assess the quality of the included evidence to support the interpretation of the findings, and synthesize published recommendations to strengthen data. Methods We conducted a systematic search of five bibliographic databases and Statistics Canada's website for relevant Canadian studies published between January 1, 2020 and July 4, 2024. We summarized the findings with descriptive statistics and a narrative review, and assessed study quality using an adapted version of the Evidence-Based Social Services Critical Thinking Tool. Results Twenty-seven studies were included; 81.5% reported on CM. Administrative data indicated fewer referrals to child protection services and hospital visits, but increases in police-reported family violence against children. The quality of studies was negatively impacted by non-representative samples, unstandardized measures, and limited use of pre-pandemic baseline data. Conclusions Due to the lack of reliable and continuous data about CM/HP, governments and researchers in Canada collaborated to improve data infrastructure and better understand the pandemic's impact on the health and wellbeing of children and youth. New data sources were developed to enhance the quality of CM/HP measures and support ongoing public health surveillance. Sustained collaboration among interest-holders and continued efforts to strengthen existing data are necessary to assess the pandemic's long-term effects and prepare to monitor the impacts of future public health emergencies.
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