Research on Child Trauma and Protection

Dear Colleagues,

In recent years, the causes and effects of trauma in relation to children’s well-being have become an increasing feature of concern and development for academics and professionals in the field of work with children and young people in child protection work. 

With increasing knowledge of the effects of trauma in terms of emotional well-being, relationships, education, employment, and life opportunities, this Special Edition will examine what we mean by trauma, and how research and developments in the field examine and inform the different aspects of the development of children which can have negative lifelong effects or, conversely, promote resilience. 

Submissions in relation to psychological, social, and physiological effects of different forms of child abuse and neglect which will advance knowledge about and/or the best means of investigation into these areas in this area are welcome. 

We welcome submissions that also address traumas arising from child abuse in relation to equality and diversity, such as gender, LGBTQ+, culture and ethnicity, and disability. 

Examination of the subsequent effects of trauma from childhood abuse on adults, in terms of mental health, social functioning, parenting, and other related factors are also encouraged. 

This could be the reporting of original research, systematic and narrative reviews, or pieces on how particular and/or novel research methodologies and methods can help to make advances in this field. 

This Special Edition will invite submissions which advance the ways in which professionals and academics can best understand the experiences of children who experience trauma in the many different ways this can be created and exhibited, in order to better protect their health and well-being from birth through to adulthood.

Prof. Dr. Brian Littlechild
Guest Editor

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 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

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-anonymized 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.