Prevention of Child Maltreatment: Primary Care Interventions

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) found that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of primary care interventions to prevent child maltreatment in children and adolescents younger than 18 years who don’t have signs or symptoms of, or known exposure to, maltreatment.  

More research is needed to help primary care clinicians accurately identify families who might benefit from supportive interventions to prevent child maltreatment. Studies are also needed to:

• Determine whether intervention effectiveness or child maltreatment reporting differs by social factors and race and ethnicity
• Evaluate the effectiveness of interventions, using more accurate outcome measures that limit bias
• Establish consistency in outcome measure definitions, outcome types, and outcome timing
• Identify the most effective ways to prevent child maltreatment, including interventions that address the social determinants of health that can negatively affect families

USPSTF recommends clinicians should use their judgment to decide if and when to provide interventions to help prevent child maltreatment in children without signs or symptoms.