The role of informal social support in child maltreatment prevention: scoping review

Informal social support is considered a key protective factor in child maltreatment research, yet the literature varies widely in how this construct is theorized, measured, and applied. This scoping review synthesized empirical studies to address three questions: (1) which theoretical frameworks have been used to explain the influence of informal social support on child maltreatment; (2) how informal support has been operationalized and measured; and (3) the functional role it has played in analytic models. Among studies that reported using a theoretical framework, ecological perspectives and stress-coping frameworks were most commonly used (73%). Measurement focused on instrumental (n = 31) and emotional (n = 30) support, while informational and belonging support were examined less often. Family members were the most common support source (n = 22); however, in 41% of studies, the source of support was not specified, which hampers the development of targeted interventions. Nearly half of the studies treated informal support as a moderator (48.7%), while fewer regarded it as a mediator (17.1%), indicating a predominant emphasis on buffering processes. The results show that there is a need for clearer theoretical specification, greater consistency in measurement, and a more in-depth examination of the mechanisms.