Clinical Scorecard: Analyzing Child Abuse and Neglect Literature Through a Social Work Perspective: A Global Bibliometric and Thematic Review (2000–2025)

At a Glance

Key Highlights

• Sustained growth in child abuse and neglect publications from 109 in 2000 to 362 in 2025.
• Collaboration primarily among high-income countries, notably the United States, UK, Canada, and Australia.
• Shift towards system- and prevention-oriented themes in child welfare and protection.
• Foster care identified as a prominent theme; juvenile justice as a niche theme.
• Longitudinal research links childhood maltreatment to increased risks of mental health issues in adulthood.

Guideline-Based Recommendations

Diagnosis

• Child maltreatment should be understood through both individual and systemic lenses.

Management

• Focus on prevention-oriented responses embedded in public health and social service systems.

Monitoring & Follow-up

• Track publication and citation trends in child abuse and neglect literature.

Risks

• Child maltreatment is associated with long-term mental health problems and chronic disease risk.

Patient & Prescribing Data

Children experiencing abuse or neglect

Interventions should consider multilevel social and institutional conditions.

Clinical Best Practices

• Integrate child welfare service delivery with family support interventions.
• Adopt a social model of child protection linking it with family support and social inequalities.

Related Resources & Content

• World Health Organization
• Pelton, 2015
• Bywaters et al., 2016
• Featherstone et al., 2018
• Dubowitz, 2013