Risk and protective factors for child psychological maltreatment – A systematic review and meta-analysis

The project aims to identify and meta-analytically integrate risk and protective factors for psychological child maltreatment perpetrated by biological and social parents, based on the current state of research. Psychological maltreatment is a widespread form of child abuse. In the international meta-analysis by Stoltenborgh et al. (2012), self-report studies showed that psychological maltreatment, with a prevalence of 36.6%, was the most frequently reported form of abuse—compared to sexual abuse (7.6%–18.4%) and physical abuse (22.6%).

Psychological child maltreatment is not only common but can also lead to severe impairments in mental health, such as depression (Gardner et al., 2019; Taillieu et al., 2016), social anxiety disorders (Gibb et al., 2007; Simon et al., 2009), eating disorders (Burns et al., 2013; Grilo & Masheb, 2001), or symptoms within the schizophrenia spectrum (Holowka et al., 2003; Larsson et al., 2013). Moreover, several studies have shown that, compared to other forms of abuse, psychological maltreatment has the most severe long-term effects on mental health (Coughlan et al., 2022; Gardner et al., 2019; Hashim et al., 2024; Schlensog-Schuster et al., 2024; van IJzendoorn et al., 2020).

Against this background, identifying risk and protective factors for psychological child maltreatment is an essential step toward the development and implementation of effective tools for risk assessment as well as prevention and intervention measures in child and youth welfare.

Parental risk factors for the risk of or the perpetration of child psychological maltreatment

The CARA project explores why parents engage in behavior that endangers child welfare and how such risks can be better predicted to prevent serious harm. In many countries, courts and authorities commission psychological assessments to evaluate future risk, which often heavily influence decisions. However, in many European countries, unstructured clinical methods are still commonly used, despite criticism from researchers about the lack of systematic knowledge for improving risk assessments.

This project aims to advance research by investigating empirically supported risk factors—especially those linked to psychological abuse by parents.

Using an existing dataset, the study will examine how potentially harmful parenting behavior relates to cognitive, affective, and personality factors such as parental negative attributions, hostility, or self-esteem.

The theoretical part includes a systematic review of current research. The empirical part uses a questionnaire-based dataset from a general population sample (from 2025). Based on this, students will develop and explore research questions relevant to psychological assessments in family law. The project will be conducted collaboratively by a team of master's students, with the dataset supporting multiple thesis topics.

Intelligence Development Scales - Preschool - 2 (IDS-P-2)

This master’s project focuses on developmental assessment in preschool-aged children (3–6 years), using the revised Intelligence and Development Scales – Preschool 2 (IDS-P-2). The instrument evaluates cognitive, psychomotor, socio-emotional, logical-mathematical, and language skills. Originally published in 2013, the IDS-P has since been updated to reflect new research, especially in socio-emotional and language development.

The revised version (IDS-P-2) includes improvements in assessing Theory of Mind and social-emotional competence. Following a pilot phase, this project is part of a broader study aiming to norm, validate, and assess the psychometric quality of the IDS-P-2.

Master's students will conduct individual test sessions with preschool children using the IDS-P-2 and additional standardized tests. This provides hands-on experience in developmental diagnostics.

The research will be conducted collaboratively by a team of master's students. Data collected can be used for various thesis topics. The project is run in cooperation with Prof. Dr. Alexander Grob; supervision is provided by Prof. Zumbach-Basu.