• Tia Palermo, Patricia Logan-Greene, Sarah M Lima, Kaley Grooms, and Denise Lillvis.
• Division of Health Services Policy and Practice, Department of Epidemiology and Environmental Health, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Electronic address: tiapaler@buffalo.edu.
• Am J Prev Med. 2024 Sep 1; 67 (3): 444454444-454.

IntroductionChildren living in poverty are at an increased risk for maltreatment. Social safety net (SSN) programs with antipoverty objectives may reduce child maltreatment through pathways such as reduced food insecurity, lessened caregiver stress, and improved caregiving behaviors and ability to meet children's basic needs. The objective of this study is to conduct a systematic review of evidence on the ability of SSN programs to reduce child maltreatment in the United States (U.S.).MethodsThis systematic review was conducted using PRISMA protocol. Among studies published between 1996-2022, the initial search returned 1,873 articles, and 27 papers were included in the final analysis. Abstracts were identified primarily on June 24th, 2022, and extraction and synthesis of data was conducted in 2022-2023.ResultsOf the 27 papers assessed, 16 studies found that SSN programs were protective against child maltreatment. Three of the reviewed studies found no effect of safety net programs, 4 studies presented mixed findings, and 4 studies found adverse impacts in terms of child maltreatment outcomes. When restricting to high-quality studies only, 10 out of 12 found protective impacts and none found adverse impacts on child maltreatment.DiscussionSSNs are associated with protective effects against child maltreatment. Expansion of SSN programs would likely have positive benefits beyond poverty-related objectives, including reducing incidence of child maltreatment.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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