Child maltreatment prevention

Child maltreatment is a significant public health problem, with almost 25% of all reports occurring in Latino families. Child maltreatment and intimate partner violence (IPV) often co-occur, and the sequelae of IPV frequently appear in the victimized mother and her children. Home visitation programs such as SafeCare® are intervention strategies to reduce the risk of child maltreatment, but these programs are rarely adapted for Latino populations. The importance of cultural sensitivity in parenting programs has been highlighted as a means of producing successful outcomes when working with Latino families. The present study includes multiple methods: a single-case research design study evaluated the effects of the SafeCare Parent-Infant Interaction (PII) module when delivered in Spanish to a Latino mother with prior IPV experiences; self-reported quantitative measures assessed exposure to IPV and changes in mental health, parenting stress, and the risk of child maltreatment; and qualitative data provided suggestions for culturally adapting PII for Latino families. Data from this study suggest that PII improves parent-infant interactions when delivered in Spanish and can reduce the risk of child maltreatment. Additionally, self-reported measures confirmed that IPV, parent mental health distress, and the risk of child maltreatment co-occur and can be reduced with PII. This study suggests the importance of providing culturally adapted programs when working with Latino families.