Open research questions in Child Abuse and Trauma

What the literature leaves open

• It is necessary to advocate for the role of oc- cupational therapy in residential settings due to the limited knowledge on the role occupa- tional therapy practitioners play. Additional research on the carryover and effectiveness of adding this program to onboarding training would be beneficial.

  An Educational Program for Residential Staff to Enhance Confidence in Supporting Substance Use Prevention and Reduction Among Foster Youth · 2026 · DOI

• Aims/background Although often assumed to be the case, the evidence for an association between maternal experiences of lifetime abuse and maternal sensitivity in early mother–infant interactions is inconclusive.

  The relationship between maternal experiences of abuse and maternal sensitivity in early mother–infant interactions · 2026 · DOI

• Results There was insufficient evidence to support the primary hypothesis that maternal experiences of abuse are associated with decreased sensitivity in interactions with their 3-month-old infants (B = −0.

  The relationship between maternal experiences of abuse and maternal sensitivity in early mother–infant interactions · 2026 · DOI

• Few studies have used observational measures of parental sensitivity, investigated maternal abuse across the lifespan, and included contextual explanatory variables when examining the relationship between maternal abuse history and parental sensitivity.

  The relationship between maternal experiences of abuse and maternal sensitivity in early mother–infant interactions · 2026 · DOI

• This nuance helps reconcile mixed reports of direct ADHD-RIU links and points to trauma- informed, family-focused intervention targets with clear translational relevance.

  Indirect and Conditional Associations Between ADHD and Risky Internet Use in Elementary School Children With Parent-child Conflict and Maternal Childhood Trauma · 2026 · DOI

• Future work should establish temporal dynamics using pro- spective, multi-informant, longitudinal designs to test trans- actional mediation and bidirectionality between conflict and RIU. Construct precision may be improved by disaggregat- ing RIU into domain-specific outcomes and incorporating digital trace/app-use telemetry to reduce common-method variance; trials comparing standard parenting interventions with trauma-informed, digital-parenting-enriched variants, moderated by caregiver trauma load and conflict reactiv- ity, could clarify who benefits most. Measurement batter- ies should add dimensional ADHD indices, observational conflict tasks, and caregiver stress/regulation measures to map intergenerational mechanisms with greater fidelity. Implementation studies in pediatric ADHD services should evaluate routine caregiver-trauma screening, stepped-care referrals to parent training, and the scalability of digital- parenting components in real-world clinics.

  Indirect and Conditional Associations Between ADHD and Risky Internet Use in Elementary School Children With Parent-child Conflict and Maternal Childhood Trauma · 2026 · DOI

• Future studies may focus on evaluating outcomes, understanding mechanisms of impact, and identifying best practices for sustainable implementation. By mapping current interventions and highlighting gaps in evidence, this scoping review points to the importance of integrating trauma-informed practices across all levels of support.

  A Scoping Review of Trauma-Informed Interventions and Violence Prevention in K-12 Schools in the United States · 2026 · DOI

• Given the lasting effect that trauma can have on youth development and overall well-being, further research is needed to understand the sustainability and long- term imp School Mental Health1 3 Future Directions There are several opportunities for future research to help contribute to the field and fill existing gaps in the literature on trauma-informed interventions and violence preven- tion in K-12 schools.

  A Scoping Review of Trauma-Informed Interventions and Violence Prevention in K-12 Schools in the United States · 2026 · DOI

• This design allows clearer differentiation between the independent and combined effects of ID and maltreatment, an analytical distinction that remains under-investigated.

  The PROTECT databank a population based linked administrative resource on child maltreatment and intellectual disability with early findings · 2026 · DOI

• The review demonstrates that the association between ACEs and substance use among racial and ethnic minor- ity adolescents is robust yet highly context dependent. Risk trajectories are shaped not only by cumulative adversity but also by the timing and type of adversity across development, by self-reported gender, and by the social-ecological environments in which adolescents are embedded. Across groups, evidence pointed to the role of relational, familial, cultural, and community protective processes that can attenuate substance use risk. These findings support focusing future research on leveraging culturally grounded, community-embedded, and collec- tivistic processes that already exist within minoritized populations. Recent conceptual advances, including the cultur- ally informed ACEs (C-ACEs) framework, posit that racism should be recognized as a distinct and develop- mentally salient adversity, operating through mecha- nisms of historical trauma [54]. Historical trauma refers to the cumulative and intergenerational harm caused by shared collective traumatic experiences, such as forced marginalization, slavery, Jim Crow segregation, forced displacement, and systemic marginalization [55]. For Black youth in particular, these histories can not only increase exposure to structural and interpersonal adver- sity but also constrain access to cultural, social, or eco- nomic resources that could traditionally buffer against the impact of ACEs and substance use risk. Empirical work demonstrates that racial discrimination confers risk for depression and anxiety, above and beyond family- level ACEs among Black [56] and Asian American [57] adolescents, underscoring the need to conceptualize ACE exposure within a broader racialized and historical con- text. The impact of ACEs among American Indian/Native American children and adolescents needs to be concep- tualized, given that the histories of forced assimilation and cultural suppression have eroded cultural and social strengths among this group, which increases the risk of ACEs exposure and decreases opportunities for positive childhood experiences [58]. Among Latino youth, rac- ism and historical trauma are also manifested through anti-immigrant rhetoric, restrictive immigration policies, and forced family separations [59]. Forced immigration- related family separations comparatively affect mental health as ACEs among Latino youth [60]. Despite this growing literature, ACE research has been slow to extend beyond family-level ACEs and how these are shaped by historical trauma, eroding familial, cultural, and com- munity strengths that can be preventative of ACEs and substance use. Translating these findings into practice requires authentic partnerships with minoritized com- munities to center their collective strengths, a resilience factor that remains both understudied and under tapped. Acknowledgements Acknowledgments: Thank you to Camila Rodri- guez, Gege ‘Winnie’ Wang, Alejandra D. Chavez, and Daniel A. Pin- eiro for support in this manuscript preparation. Author contributions N.A.M. co-wrote the manuscript, led the litera- ture search, and contributed substantially to revisions throughout the writing process.D.B. provided critical feedback and substantive edits across multiple drafts of the manuscript.J.Z.D. co-wrote the manu- script and contributed substantially to the conceptual refinement and finalization of the draft. Funding The National Institutes of Health Awards that supported this work include: K12DA043490 (NAM) and K08AA029150 (JZD). 1 3Current Addiction Reports (2026) 13:58 Data Availability No datasets were generated or analysed during the current study.

  Understanding Risk and Resilience: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Use among Racial and Ethnically Diverse Adolescents · 2026 · DOI

• This study added to the literature on trauma and perceptions of social support; however, it is not without its limitations. A limitation of the study is that it was a cross-sectional design and that we could not infer causality or directional- ity of effects. Another limitation is that surveys were col- lected only from one high school in the southeast area of the United States, which does not make results generalizable to all high school students from other parts of the United States. Further, the response rate for students from the school who participated in the study was low. Although the sample was representative of the community from which it was drawn, collecting data from one school may limit external validity and thus, results should be interpreted with caution. Further, a Monte Carlo power analysis for indirect effects with three mediators showed that 269 participants would be sufficient to detect small to moderate effects, with power estimates between 0.82 and 0.93 (Schoemann et al., 2017). Thus, while a sample size of 269 may be consid- ered small for some path models, it was deemed sufficient for our models. Additionally, data were collected through self-report surveys, which could lead to subject bias in their results. Internal consistency estimates for the CASSS subscales were very high in the present sample (α > 0.95), which may indicate item redundancy. Given that the CASSS is a widely used and well-validated measure, we retained all items; however, future research should further examine the extent to which item overlap may be present. Future research should consider including larger sample sizes from multiple schools around the United States to better understand the different types of traumas (witness- ing, interpersonal, non-interpersonal) among perceptions of social support and social emotional problems. A longitudinal design should be utilized to determine direction of effects. Additionally, a mixed methods or a qualitative design could be considered to gather interviews or other forms of data to better understand students’ experience post the traumatic event and their perceptions related to social support.

  Forms of Trauma and Youth Social-Emotional Problems: Examining Indirect Effects of Perceived Social Support · 2026 · DOI

• There are several limitations in the current study which must be considered when interpreting our findings. First, our sample may not be representative of people who have been victims of child maltreatment as it was drawn from people participating in therapy in a large metropolitan area. Prior research suggests there are gendered differences in the internalization and externalization of behaviors related to child abuse and neglect (Jung et al., 2015; Tyler et al., 2008), but our data do not allow us to explore these differ- ences. The majority of our participants identified as female, thus male participants may be underrepresented. Although our sample reflects the White and Hispanic demographics of the area, it is not representative of other groups such as Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, or Middle Eastern popula- tions. Research suggests there are important cultural differ- ences in acceptable child-rearing behaviors and reporting practices (Cerdeña et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2011; Ibanez et al., 2006). Second, respondents were recruited from people partici- pating in a trauma therapy and support group. As described in the methodology, the majority of participants had reported experiencing childhood sexual abuse. As these experiences are not broadly encompassing of the myriad forms of child- hood maltreatment, this may have skewed the impacts on participants’ social bonds, protective factors, and resilience. Finally, although the respondents were more likely to feel comfortable disclosing details about their various experi- ences with child maltreatment, there is an inherent socioeco- nomic bias. This is due in part to the population from which are sample was drawn, i.e., people participating in therapy. Thus, it is possible that people who cannot afford therapy may have different experiences. The authors also acknowl- edge the limitations of research based on interview data in general including social desirability bias and the subjective nature of the data and data analysis which may limit valid- ity, reliability, and generalizability of the findings. Given the bias of the recruitment process and the small sample size of the study, the authors make no claims as to the generaliz- ability of our findings to all child maltreatment survivors. However, the data do provide insight into childhood mal- treatment victimization and survivors for the perspective of survivors, and the authors have no reason to doubt their experiences as they have described them.

  “I was so Disconnected”: The Role of Social Bonds in Surviving Childhood Maltreatment · 2026 · DOI

• Future research should continue to focus on why certain individuals refrain from antisocial behavior, despite the childhood maltreatment they experienced (Benedini & Fagan, 2018; Zhang et al., 2026). Studies exploring the role of social bonds with large, representative samples should take into consideration the gendered and cultural differences in childhood maltreatment. This would con- tribute to our understanding of the nature of childhood maltreatment, and how to best address it through policy (Cerdeña et al., 2021; Chan et al., 2011; Ibanez et al., 2006; Jung et al., 2015; Tyler et al., 2008; Zhang et al., 2026). The findings suggest that involvement is crucial in early childhood and adolescence for helping victims of child abuse and neglect form social bonds that reduce the likelihood of participation in antisocial behavior and for facilitating resiliency. This is an important avenue for future research to explore.

  “I was so Disconnected”: The Role of Social Bonds in Surviving Childhood Maltreatment · 2026 · DOI

• While this study yielded some interesting results, there were a few limitations which should be considered when inter- preting the findings. 1. Given that this study focused on childhood experiences of adversity, participants relied on memory to provide retrospective descriptions. Recall bias may have influ- enced the associations between ACEs and IPV and as such, may not fully capture all the realities of the past experiences. According to Shields (2020), people who experienced violence in adulthood may more readily recall traumatic childhood experiences, which could possibly inflate the associations while, participants who experienced early traumatic childhood experiences may be less likely to report IPV (or report its severity) in adulthood because of the normalisation or habituation of violence, thus having the potential to weaken the associations. 2. Interviews were conducted on survivors and two male participants who provided indirect information on the perpetrators. The findings reflect survivors’ lived expe- riences and advocates’ professional perspectives rather than direct perpetrator narratives. Therefore, these find- ings should be interpreted with caution, as indirect and indicative, rather than representative of perpetrators’ direct pathways. This limitation is discussed to appro- priately contextualise the scope and applicability of IPV findings. 3. All survivors in the study were female, which may have presented a male bias of IPV. Males as victims or perpe- trators of IPV are generally a difficult group to target or recruit, and as such, resulting in an all-female group of survivor experiences. 4. The study used snowball sampling, a non-probability type sample. The findings using non-probability sam- pling must be interpreted with caution, as these may not reflect the true pervasiveness of the IPV in context.

  Adverse Childhood Experiences and Intimate Partner Violence: A Life Course Perspective · 2026 · DOI

• To expand this area of literature and maximize the utility of the intervention, limitations should be noted. One, claims regarding causality cannot be made given the design of the present evaluation. Future study should include a control group and randomization of participating caregivers to more rigorously examine its impact. Two, outcome measures were only assessed for resource parents, more distal out- comes such as the child’s symptoms or perceptions of their caregivers were not examined. Including data about and/or from child welfare workers would be a helpful next step in understanding the possible systems-level benefits of this intervention. Three, the sample size of the present evalua- tion was small. A larger sample size would have provided a more stable estimate of the effects of the intervention and increased the generalizability of results (Slavin, 2008). Relatedly, the present evaluation process indicated improvements that can be made to gathering data on the intervention effectiveness. The initial process resulted in too high a rate of data loss. Challenges obtaining com- plete pre, post, and follow-up data is common among this population and is not specific to this intervention or evalu- ation (e.g., Gigengack et al., 2019; Sullivan et al., 2016). However, this process pointed to multiple potential rem- edies. For example, retraining clinicians on data collection and checking to ensure that all measures are completed would minimize missing data. Adding checks and balances between the Clinical Research Protocol Manager and data entry clerks to detect missing items for follow-up would Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma (2026) 19:17–291 3 also be an enhancement for reducing data loss. Addition- ally, using paper copies of measures, which caregivers were often asked to mail to the clinic once completed, was a bar- rier to timely and full completion of data. Transitioning to electronic online administration of measures would likely help increase the completion rate of measures as well as being, potentially, more convenient for participating care- givers. An important next step in this research is to obtain qualitative data on caregivers’ perceptions of the data col- lection process as well as barriers to completing the inter- vention. Obtaining input from intervention participants is an important step in continuing to enhance this intervention and improve its utility.

  Trauma-Informed Parenting Skills for Resource Parents: A Pilot Study of Acceptability, Feasibility, and Effectiveness · 2026 · DOI

• Despite the various strengths of this systematic review, several limitations must be considered when interpreting its results. First, the main limitation of this review is the small number of studies included (N = 8), which reflects the limited availability of empirical research on RAD in adolescence and restricts the generalizability of the findings. Second, the small sample sizes in some studies hinder the generalization of the findings to a broader population. Future research should employ probabilistic sampling methods to better represent the characteristics of the adolescent population of interest. On the other hand, the heterogeneity of the measures used across studies prevented the possibility of conducting a meta-analysis, which would have been desirable to further consolidate the findings. Beyond limiting quantitative synthesis, this heterogeneity also complicates direct comparison across studies and may influence the consistency and magnitude of the reported associations, as similar constructs were operationalized using different assessment tools and outcome measures. Additionally, the strict inclusion criteria may have led to the exclusion of relevant articles, potentially limiting the scope of the review. It should be noted that the findings of this review must be interpreted considering the methodological characteristics of the included studies. Given their predominantly descriptive and observational nature, a formal risk of bias assessment was not conducted. Nevertheless, several study characteristics may represent potential sources of bias, including reliance on caregiver reports, the absence of adolescent self-reports, and limited reporting of informant characteristics. These factors may affect the reliability and validity of the synthesized evidence and should be considered when interpreting the observed associations between adverse childhood experiences and reactive attachment disorder. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma (2026) 19:45–571 3 54 Most studies used cross-sectional and retrospective designs, precluding the establishment of causal relationships between ACEs and RAD. As a result, the directionality and temporal sequencing of these associations cannot be determined, and conclusions regarding causality must be interpreted with caution. However, several of the instruments used have shown good reliability (e.g., Pinto et al., 2014). As for the retrospective design, they could be underestimated or overestimated, due to alterations in the participants memories; either due to forgetfulness or incorrect reporting (Gomes et al., 2019).

  Childhood Adversity and Reactive Attachment Disorder in Adolescents: A Systematic Review · 2026 · DOI

• This systematic review has several limitations. One of the crucial limitations is that the present review excludes review articles and qualitative studies. Thus, it is possible that the present review lacks some perspectives which can be provided by qualitative studies. Conducting an integra- tive systematic review in the future could fill this gap by including qualitative literature. Another limitation of the present review is that the included studies have different baselines. For instance, the definition of delinquent behav- ior might vary in different cultures, and “incarcerated/jus- tice-involved youth” might be defined based on jurisdiction and laws. Further, we acknowledge the possibility that we did not include all relevant quantitative studies. The present review relied on six electronic databases for the identifica- tion of potentially eligible studies. Lastly, we acknowledge the possibility that the studies included may have a risk of bias since the assessment of study quality was explicitly developed for this review instead of universally used.

  Adolescent Delinquency Following Exposure to Childhood Traumatic Experiences: The Moderating Role of Resilience Factors · 2026 · DOI

• This study has two key limitations. First, we were unable to recruit the intended sample size, and we lacked national identification numbers for a substantial proportion of the youths, resulting in a lower final sample size in the analyses. Consequently, statistical power for the tests of difference between groups were lower than planned. Second, with respect to external validity, we do not have a clear way of assessing how representative our sample is in relation to the population receiving FFT in Norway. Though the sample was drawn from youths and families referred to FFT in regular service organizations, a substantial number of participants were excluded or did not consent to take part in the research. Furthermore, the proportion of missing cases due to a lack of national identification numbers may further limit the external validity of the results. Missing data analyses showed signs of systematic differences between those included in the analyses and those excluded due to the lack of a valid national identification number, and this suggest that the group included in these analyses may have been an even more selected sample. Effects of functional family therapy for adolescents in child welfare…1 3 Conclusion The results did not support the expected superiority of FFT over TAU in a Norwe- gian service context where treatment provision is not contingent on justice system involvement. These findings suggest a need for further research examining the effec- tiveness of FFT in service contexts that do not require justice system involvement. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at h t t p s : / / d o i . o r g / 1 0 . 1 0 0 7 / s 1 1 2 9 2 - 0 2 6 - 0 9 7 3 6 - 6 . Acknowledgments The authors would like to thank Dagfinn Mørkrid Thøgersen for his valuable input and collaboration throughout the study period. We also thank Görel Eriksson Bringedal for her assistance with the extraction of data from Statistics Norway, and Sivarajan Rajah and Bjørn Arild Kristiansen for their work establishing systems for data collection and data management. Author contributions Gunnar Bjørnebekk played a lead role, and Asgeir Røyrhus Olseth a supporting role, in conceptualization, design, and data acquisition. Asgeir Røyrhus Olseth conducted the analyses and wrote the first draft of the methods and results sections. All authors contributed to writing the first draft and contributed on interpretation of results. All authors critically revised all versions of the manuscript and read and approved the final manuscript. Funding Open access funding provided by NUBU - The Norwegian Center for Child Behavioral Devel- opment. The study was funded by the Norwegian Center for Child behavioral development (NCCBD), a government funded research and development organization. Data availability Materials and analysis code are available upon request from the corresponding author. Data is not publicly available due to legal and ethical restrictions.

  Effects of functional family therapy for adolescents in child welfare services on subsequent criminal charges and out-of-home placements: a randomized effectiveness trial · 2026 · DOI

• Child maltreatment represents a significant risk factor for numerous adverse outcomes, yet its relationship with problematic technology use (PTU) remains inadequately understood.

  The multilevel meta-analysis of the association between child maltreatment and problematic technology use: heterogeneity across different subtypes and moderating factors · 2026 · DOI

• Although attempts were made to provide an accurate and representative estimate of prehabilitation support within the current setting, New Zealand, and particularly to account for the impact of the underrepresentation of males, selection biases may still have influenced results. Participants were self-selected volunteers recruited via social media (i.e., a convenience sample), and consequently, the sample may overrepresent individuals who have strong views one way or another regarding prehabilitation services or MAPs. To avoid problems associated with such selection bias, future research could endeavour to recruit participants on a randomised basis (for instance, randomly recruiting based on eligible registered voters, following Levenson et al., 2007). Doing so would provide greater the generalisability of the sample and findings. confidence in Furthermore, the survey content itself may have shaped the results. Although attempts were made to ensure that only neutral and factual information was presented to participants prior to the survey questions, it cannot be precluded that the information sheet contained an unintended persuasive tone. To the extent that this was the case, participants’ responses may have been influenced in the direction of being more inclined to indicate support.

  Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Exploring Public Support for the Concept of Prehabilitation Services · 2026 · DOI

• 14 Indeed, the limitations of this study sample are perhaps indicative of a structural knowledge gap that is a theme throughout this article: expertise in this field is fragmented, often siloed within academic dis- ciplines and practitioner/policy communities working with selected groups, and with limited input from those who are most affected. However, the findings are limited by the small interview sample that focuses on mothers (and their sons) which may not reflect the experiences of other gender dyads, or with broader ser- vice populations outside of CPA.

  "How Do you Even Speak About it?": Understanding Harmful Sexual Behavior Towards Parents · 2026 · DOI

• Potential underlying mechanisms that may explain why CALD children fared better than non-CALD could include an element of reporting bias, cultural differences in child rearing practices, and the protective effect of social capital in collectivist cultures which could be further explored in qualitative studies.

  Child protection contact, emotional well-being and school engagement among CALD and non-CALD children: a whole-population linked data study · 2026 · DOI

• This study provides valuable insights into the resilience trajectories of child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors 1 3Adversity and Resilience Science (2026) 7:33 in Zimbabwe; however, several limitations must be acknowledged to contextualize the findings. First, the quasi-experimental one-group pretest–posttest design, while ethically necessary, restricts the ability to draw strict causal inferences. Without a control group, it is not possible to definitively attribute improvements in resilience solely to the intervention. Natural maturation, exposure to other community- or school-based programs, and broader socioeconomic changes over the fiveyear period may also have contributed to the observed gains. Although the linear mixed-effects model (LMM) strengthened internal validity by tracking within-individual change and accounting for baseline variability, the design inherently limits causal certainty, and the findings should be interpreted as indicative rather than conclusive. Second, staggered enrolment created differences in baseline resilience levels and exposure duration. While the LMM approach effectively modelled these variations, heterogeneity in program dosage may still have influenced outcome patterns, particularly for participants with shorter engagement periods. This variability highlights the complexity of evaluating real-world interventions implemented across diverse settings. Third, the study was constrained by unmeasured confounders. Critical factors such as trauma severity, type of abuse, chronicity, prior mental health conditions, and the quality of informal support systems were not captured. The absence of standardized trauma severity measures is particularly important, as individual perceptions of trauma and the intensity of abuse significantly shape resilience trajectories. Some of the substantial individual variability observed may reflect these unmeasured dimensions, suggesting that survivors’ recovery pathways are influenced by factors beyond those included in the model. Additionally, the study focused primarily on resilience as an outcome and did not assess other important dimensions of long-term recovery. Post-traumatic growth, coping flexibility, meaning-making processes, and survivor agency were not measured, limiting the ability to capture the full spectrum of adaptive responses. Incorporating these constructs in future research would provide a more holistic understanding of recovery. Finally, although the five-year follow-up period is substantial, longer-term tracking would help determine the sustainability of resilience gains. Future studies could adopt quasi-experimental or matched-comparison designs, integrate trauma severity scales, and employ mixed-methods approaches to deepen understanding and guide more targeted interventions.

  An Evaluation of Factors Predicting the Resilience of Child Sexual Abuse Survivors in Rural and Urban Zimbabwe · 2026 · DOI

• Knowledge gains, changed practices, and motivation boosts were discussed, along with mixed attitudes toward TIC applicability, frustration from having limited information regarding individual students’ circumstances, and a need of more follow-up support to practicing TIC.

  From “What’s Wrong with You?” to “What Happened to You?” Trauma-Informed Care Training and Implementation Experiences of School Personnel · 2025 · DOI

• The lack of consensus in public attitudes toward the legal prohibition of the corporal punishment of children (CPC) may, in part, be explained by variations in individuals’ personal experiences of corporal punishment in childhood (PECPC).

  ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF CHILDREN AND PERSONAL CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES OF CORPORAL PUNISHMENT: THE RELEVANCE OF THE FEELING OF HELPLESSNESS · 2025 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Child Abuse and Trauma

• Protecting adolescents from harm. Findings from the National Longitudinal Study on Adolescent Health · JAMA · 1997 · 4,100 citations
• Long-term Effects of Home Visitation on Maternal Life Course and Child Abuse and Neglect · JAMA · 1997 · 1,152 citations
• Stress and parenting during the global COVID-19 pandemic · Child Abuse & Neglect · 2020 · 982 citations
• Long-term Effects of Nurse Home Visitation on Children's Criminal and Antisocial Behavior · JAMA · 1998 · 826 citations
• When more is not better: the role of cumulative risk in child behavior outcomes · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · 2004 · 818 citations
• Lest we forget: comparing retrospective and prospective assessments of adverse childhood experiences in the prediction of adult health · Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry · 2016 · 739 citations
• Maltreatment in childhood substantially increases the risk of adult depression and anxiety in prospective cohort studies: systematic review, meta-analysis, and proportional attributable fractions · Psychological Medicine · 2015 · 632 citations
• The childhood trauma questionnaire in a community sample: Psychometric properties and normative data · Journal of Traumatic Stress · 2001 · 585 citations
• Association Between Self-reported Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adverse Psychosocial Outcomes · Archives of General Psychiatry · 2002 · 506 citations
• Examining Child Maltreatment Through a Neurodevelopmental Lens: Clinical Applications of the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics · Journal of Loss and Trauma · 2009 · 490 citations

Most recent work

• Sequelae of child maltreatment: Umbrella synthesis of 148 meta‐analyses on the mental health correlates · JCPP Advances · 2026
• Development and content validation of an interprofessional collaboration model for child sexual abuse prevention in primary health care · BMC Primary Care · 2026
• Cumulative adverse childhood experiences and risk of mental disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis · Acta Psychologica · 2026
• Interpretation Bias as a Mediator Linking Childhood Maltreatment to Psychopathology: A Network Analysis · Psychiatry · 2026
• The lived experiences of biological mothers parenting with a history of complex trauma in the Govan Mbeki Local Municipality, South Africa · South African Journal of Psychology · 2026
• Preventing Child Sexual Abuse: Exploring Public Support for the Concept of Prehabilitation Services · New Zealand journal of psychology · 2026
• Preventing Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation: Current Efforts and Future Directions in the European Union · Victims & Offenders · 2026
• Technology-Assisted Sexual Abuse of Children and Repeat Victimization: Mentalization as a Potential Risk Factor · Victims & Offenders · 2026
• Adolescent Delinquency Following Exposure to Childhood Traumatic Experiences: The Moderating Role of Resilience Factors · Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma · 2026
• Indirect and Conditional Associations Between ADHD and Risky Internet Use in Elementary School Children With Parent-child Conflict and Maternal Childhood Trauma · Research on Child and Adolescent Psychopathology · 2026

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