Child Abuse and Adolescent Delinquency: Psychological States and Developmental Impacts

Dear Colleagues,

Child abuse remains one of the most critical and pervasive risk factors influencing the psychological development and behavioral outcomes of children and adolescents. This Special Issue aims to explore the complex interplay between early victimization experiences and the emergence of delinquent behavior during adolescence, with a particular focus on the psychological states that mediate or moderate this relationship.

We welcome contributions that examine the developmental trajectories from abuse to delinquency, the role of trauma-related symptoms, emotional dysregulation, and cognitive distortions, as well as protective factors such as social support and out-of-home care systems. Interdisciplinary approaches combining perspectives from psychology, pediatrics, and child development are especially encouraged.

This Special Issue seeks to advance our understanding of how child abuse shapes adolescent behavior and mental health, and to promote evidence-based strategies for prevention, intervention, and policy development.

Dr. Maria Verónica Jimeno Jiménez
Dr. Jane D. Champion
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Children is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.