Parenting and the prevention of child maltreatment in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review of interventions and a discussion of prevention of the risks of future violent behaviour among boys

Child maltreatment is a global phenomenon. While definitions of child physical and psychological
maltreatment may differ across cultures and countries, poor or harsh parenting is a critical risk
factor for maltreatment worldwide, particularly in the early years. Most research on child
maltreatment comes from high-income countries, but there have been increasing calls to address
the issue in low- and middle-income countries. In addition, there is increasing interest in adapting
evidence-based parenting interventions to low- and middle-income countries. This review
investigates the effectiveness of parenting interventions for reducing harsh or abusive parenting,
increasing positive parenting practices, attitudes and knowledge, and improving parent–child
relationships in low- and middle-income countries. This study was commissioned by the Sexual Violence Research Initiative hosted by the Medical Research Council, South Africa, funded by the Oak Foundation.