Maus-tratos contra a criança e o adolescente: um estudo comparativo antes e durante a pandemia da COVID-19

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the occurrence of abuse against children and adolescents, recorded in the Conselho Tutelar of the city of Campina Grande - Paraíba, before and during the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as to know its factors associated with aggression. This was a cross-sectional, documentary and retrospective study, with a sample of 378 records of complaints with the Conselho Tutelar in the years 2019 and 2020. For data analysis, initially, descriptive statistics were performed and then the comparative analysis of two independent groups, using Pearson's chi-square test. Subsequently, logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the magnitude of the associations. The variables that presented p<0.05 were significant. The results indicated that there was a decrease in notifications of cases of abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. In the comparative analysis, it was observed that the prevalence of indirect-order maltreatment (negligence and psychological aggression) was significantly higher than direct maltreatment (physical and sexual aggression) in 2019, when observed in 2020 (p<0.01). In relation to the whistleblowers of the cases, in 2019, the highest prevalences were those who had external contact with the victim; in 2020, it was the internal coexistence, demonstrating that the education and health sectors had a decrease of 9.0% and 0.7%, respectively, in relation to the complaints of the year 2019. On the other hand, the cases recidivism (p=0.02) and notifications in high social vulnerability neighborhoods (p=0.04) were more frequent in 2020, compared to 2019. With regard to the factors associated with the types of abuse in children and adolescents, remained associated with indirect maltreatment, male children and adolescents (OR: 2.17; 95% CI: 1.36-3.48; p<0.01), notifications made in 2019 (OR: 1.67; 95% CI: 1.05-2.67; p=0.03) and notifications during the class period (OR: 2.45; 95% CI: 1.51-3, 96; p<0.01). It was concluded that there was a decrease in notifications of cases of abuse during the Covid-19 pandemic. The main whistleblowers before the pandemic were those who lived outside the victim and during the pandemic they were those who lived internally. Children and adolescents who lived in more socially vulnerable neighborhoods had higher occurrences of abuse.