Is Household Unemployment Associated With Increased Verbal and Physical Child Abuse During the COVID Pandemic?

The economic downturn due to the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic initially led to a large increase in the US unemployment rate. Being laid-off or losing a job could cause financial stress and have an impact on the relationship between parents or other adults in the home and children. We aimed to assess the effect of household unemployment on child physical and emotional abuse during the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, with an older population of children.

Data were from a sample of 7,555 students from 51 schools that participated in a survey administered from October to December 2020. We conducted weighted multivariable logistic regression models and report adjusted odds ratio to estimate associations between recent household unemployment and emotional and physical abuse.

Having a parent or other adult in the home with a job loss was associated with higher odds of emotional or physical abuse.

The findings are consistent with child maltreatment prevention strategies focused on alleviating economic hardship.