In Quebec and across Canada, the child care centers face an overwhelming challenge: long waitlists. For vulnerable children, these institutions serve as places of refuge: they are spaces where caregivers can detect early signs of maltreatment, such as developmental delays, emotional withdrawal, and aggression. 

According to Dr. Rachel Langevin, a professor at McGill University, what can make a big difference in a child’s outcome in someone recognizing the warning signs and taking initiative to support and protect the child.  

Hearing a Child

Dr. Langevin’s research emphasizes that maltreatment is rarely a singular event. Maltreatment takes multiple forms (emotional, physical, etc) and in many cases, these forms co-occur. Symptoms such as anxiety and even physical ailments may initially be attributed to a singular event, but could stem from repeated incidents over time. A child displaying signs of post-traumatic stress might have suffered not only sexual abuse, but years of neglect. Especially the less studied and obvious forms of maltreatment, such as psychological maltreatment and neglect, can actually be the most influential and long-lasting. Often, these types of maltreatment are the most prevalent (such as neglect). 

Consider a mother bringing her child to a service system out of fear that her partner is abusive. In that moment, thorough documentation of the suspected maltreatment—including the types of maltreatment, history, timeline—can be crucial to intervention. Given such, it is crucial for childcare spaces to thoroughly document the constellation of maltreatment to inform caregivers. 

Real World Application

So how does Dr. Langevin translate her research into actionable change that benefits the public? As a psychologist, Dr. Langevin often selects research questions based on patterns she observes clinically. As a professor, she influences the next generation of researchers and professionals through her work. Because professionals outside of academia do not regularly read peer-reviewed journals, social media becomes a valuable tool in sharing findings. 

Through partnerships with who she refers to as “knowledge users,” she ensures that research translates to practice and vice versa. “Knowledge users” such as practitioners, government agencies, and policymakers identify societal needs, and researchers (such as herself) can address these gaps. By co-creating or collaborating with researchers, these knowledge users can also quickly translate the research into real-world applications. 

Takeaways

The fact that maltreatment often involves multiple forms of victimization complicates research on childhood victimization. For these young children who are underrepresented in research on maltreatment, professionals working with children can make a difference by simply being aware: noticing signs and believing what children share. Documenting patterns is a powerful tool in rewriting a child’s story.