Child abuse & neglect
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Child abuse & neglect · Feb 2018
Meta AnalysisSkeletal surveys in young, injured children: A systematic review.
Skeletal surveys (SSs) have been identified as a key component of the evaluation for suspected abuse in young children, but variability in SS utilization has been reported. Thus, we aimed to describe the utilization patterns, yield, and risks of obtaining SS in young children through a systematic literature review. We searched PubMed/MEDLINE and CINAHL databases for articles published between 1990 and 2016 on SS. ⋯ Minority children and children without private insurance were evaluated with SS more often than white children and children with private insurance despite lack of evidence to support this practice. Among children undergoing SS, occult fractures were frequently detected among infants with significant head injury (23%-34%) and long bone fractures (30%) but were less common in infants with skull fractures (1%-6%). These findings underscore the need for interventions to decrease disparities in SS utilization and standardize SS utilization in infants at high risk of having occult fractures.
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Child abuse & neglect · Nov 2017
Understanding humerus fractures in young children: Abuse or not abuse?
Fractures are the second most common abusive injury occurring in young children, particularly those under 2 years of age. The humerus is often affected. To better identify factors discriminating between abusive and non-abusive humerus fractures, this retrospective study examined the characteristics and mechanisms of injuries causing humerus fractures in children less than 18 months of age. ⋯ Among children with fractures determined to have been caused by abuse, the most common location was the distal humerus (50%) and the most common types were transverse and oblique (25% each); however, transverse and oblique fractures were also seen in patients whose injuries were determined to have been non-abusive. A younger age, non-ambulatory developmental stage, and the presence of additional injuries were significantly associated with abusive fractures. Caregivers did not provide a mechanism of injury for half of children with abusive fractures, whereas caregivers provided some explanation for all children with non-abusive fractures.
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Child abuse & neglect · Oct 2017
ReviewA birth cohort study of Asian and Pacific Islander children reported for abuse or neglect by maternal nativity and ethnic origin.
Research identifying racial and ethnic disparities in child protective services (CPS) involvement in the U. S. has focused on the overrepresentation of Black children and the growing Latino child population. Little attention has been paid to children of Asian origin, the most underrepresented group of children in the U. ⋯ S.-born Hawaiian, Guamanian, or Samoan mothers had the highest rate, with 20.4% being reported to CPS by their 5th birthday. The lowest rates of child abuse and neglect reporting were observed among children of foreign-born Asian Indian (2.5%), Korean (2.7%), and Chinese (2.8%) mothers, compared to 5.4% of all Asian and Pacific Islander children, and 14.8% of children in general population. Findings underscore the presence of disparities in CPS involvement among API children, which has implications for health and well-being across the life course and for targeted maltreatment prevention strategies.
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Child abuse & neglect · Aug 2017
Prenatal and early postnatal depression and child maltreatment among Japanese fathers.
We investigated the association of paternal depression in the prenatal and early postnatal period with child maltreatment tendency at two months postpartum among Japanese fathers. This population-based longitudinal study recruited Japanese perinatal women and their partners living in Nishio City, Aichi, Japan. Of the 270 fathers who participated, 196 were included in the analysis. ⋯ According to the multivariate analysis, current paternal depression was significantly associated with child maltreatment tendency at two months postpartum (adjusted odds ratio: 7.77, 95% CI: 1.83-33.02). The other two types of depression, however, were not related to child maltreatment tendency. Thus, current paternal depression increased the risk of child maltreatment tendency in the postnatal period, suggesting that early detection and treatment of paternal depression might be useful for the prevention of child maltreatment.
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Child abuse & neglect · Aug 2017
ReviewWhat do we know about child abuse and neglect patterns of co-occurrence? A systematic review of profiling studies and recommendations for future research.
Latent class (LCA) and latent profile (LPA) analysis represent methodological approaches to identify subgroups of maltreated individuals. Although research examining child abuse and neglect (CAN) profiles is still rare, the application of person-centered techniques to clarify CAN types co-occurrence has substantially increased in recent years. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to provide a summary and critical evaluation of the findings of LCA/LPA child maltreatment research to: (a) systemize the current understanding of patterns of maltreatment across populations and (b) elucidate interactive effects of CAN types on psychosocial functioning. ⋯ Further, multiple victimization was associated with most adverse internalizing and externalizing outcomes, especially when sexual abuse was present. Exposure to physical and emotional abuse was frequently reported to lead to behavioural problems. Based on the present study results, we provide a set of recommendations for surpassing the current methodological and conceptual limitations in future research.