Affordable housing through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program and opioid overdose emergency department visits.

Introduction: The United States continues to experience an opioid overdose crisis. As a key social determinant of health, housing insecurity may contribute to initiation of substance use and can threaten outcomes for those with substance use disorders by increasing stress, risky substance use, discontinuity of treatment, and return to use, all of which may increase the risk of overdose. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program supports access to rental housing for low-income populations.

The Association of Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Units and Reports of Child Abuse and Neglect.

Introduction: Poverty broadly and financial stress owing to housing insecurity specifically are associated with an increased risk of child maltreatment. Therefore, it is possible that a program designed to increase access to affordable housing such as the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit program could reduce child maltreatment. The purpose of this study is to examine the association of the availability of housing units through the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program with the rates of child maltreatment reports, including reports for physical abuse and neglect, at the state and county levels.

Lack of Maternal Social Capital Increases the Likelihood of Harsh Parenting.

Does low maternal social capital increase the likelihood of parents using harsh parenting behaviors? We analyzed random digit dial telephone survey data from 661 female primary caregivers across Colorado. Positive reports of the use of either physically or psychologically harsh parenting methods were classified as harsh parenting. Absence of social capital was assessed within the family and the community; lack of social capital within the family was measured in terms of an absence of support from a partner and an additional caregiver.

Predictors of Receipt of Clinical Preventive Services in Adolescents and Adults with Down Syndrome Accessing Medicaid.

Background: Persons with Down syndrome (DS) require preventive care that addresses their age-/gender- and syndrome-specific needs. Yet, adolescents and adults with DS do not receive these preventive care services as recommended.

Objective/hypothesis: To identify factors that predict receipt of age-/gender- and syndrome-specific preventive healthcare among adolescents and adults with DS.

Feasibility and Accuracy of Fast MRI Versus CT for Traumatic Brain Injury in Young Children.

Background: Computed tomography (CT) is commonly used for children when there is concern for traumatic brain injury (TBI) and is a significant source of ionizing radiation. Our objective was to determine the feasibility and accuracy of fast MRI (motion-tolerant MRI sequences performed without sedation) in young children.

Methods: In this prospective cohort study, we attempted fast MRI in children <6 years old who had head CT performed and were seen in the emergency department of a single, level 1 pediatric trauma center.

Invited Commentary: Gaze Aversion and Unnoticed Phenomena.

Child abuse is a social phenomenon that has been underresearched and undersupported. The scale of the problem is large, with over 3 million US children reported for abuse or neglect each year. An estimated 15% of confirmed victims may be placed in out-of-home care to ensure their safety.

Functional Outcome After Intracranial Pressure Monitoring for Children With Severe Traumatic Brain Injury.

Importance: Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring is a mainstay of therapy for children with traumatic brain injury (TBI), but its overall association with patient outcome is unclear.

Objective: To test the hypothesis that ICP monitoring is associated with improved functional survival of children with severe TBI.

Design, Setting, And Participants: A propensity-weighted effectiveness analysis was conducted using 2 linked national databases with data from 30 US children's hospitals from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2012, on 3084 children with severe TBI.

Development and Prospective Validation of Tools to Accurately Identify Neurosurgical and Critical Care Events in Children With Traumatic Brain Injury.

Objective: To develop and validate case definitions (computable phenotypes) to accurately identify neurosurgical and critical care events in children with traumatic brain injury.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study, May 2013 to September 2015.

Setting: Two large U.

Research priorities for a multi-center child abuse pediatrics network - CAPNET.

Although child maltreatment medical research has benefited from several multi-center studies, the new specialty of child abuse pediatrics has not had a sustainable network capable of pursuing multiple, prospective, clinically-oriented studies. The Child Abuse Pediatrics Network (CAPNET) is a new multi-center research network dedicated to child maltreatment medical research. In order to establish a relevant, practical research agenda, we conducted a modified Delphi process to determine the topic areas with highest priority for such a network.

Functional Status Scale in Children With Traumatic Brain Injury: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Objectives: In children with traumatic brain injury, 1) to describe the hospital discharge functional outcome and change from baseline function using the Functional Status Scale and 2) to determine any associations between discharge Functional Status Scale and age, injury mechanism, neurologic examination, imaging, and other predictors of outcome.

Design: Prospective observational cohort study, May 2013 to November 2015.

Setting: Two U.

Variation in Acceptable Child Discipline Practices by Child Age: Perceptions of Community Norms by Medical and Legal Professionals.

Mandated child abuse reporters may judge specific disciplinary practices as unacceptable for young children, whereas child law professionals arbitrating allegations may be less inclusive. Do the views of these groups diverge, by child age, regarding discipline? Judgments of community norms across a wide range of children's ages were obtained from 380 medical and legal professionals. Because the Parent-Child Conflict Tactics Scale (PC-CTS) can be used to assess the epidemiology of child disciplinary behaviors and as a proxy to examine the incidence or prevalence of child abuse, the disciplinary practices described on the PC-CTS were presented as triggers for questions.

Does the impact of child sexual abuse differ from maltreated but non-sexually abused children? A prospective examination of the impact of child sexual abuse on internalizing and externalizing behavior problems.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) continues to be a significant problem with significant short and long term consequences. However, extant literature is limited by the reliance on retrospective recall of adult samples, single-time assessments, and lack of longitudinal data during the childhood and adolescent years. The purpose of this study was to compare internalizing and externalizing behavior problems of those with a history of sexual abuse to those with a history of maltreatment, but not sexual abuse.

Effectiveness of a Statewide Abusive Head Trauma Prevention Program in North Carolina.

Importance: Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a serious condition, with an incidence of approximately 30 cases per 100,000 person-years in the first year of life.

Objective: To assess the effectiveness of a statewide universal AHT prevention program.

Design, Setting, And Participants: In total, 88.

Testing for Abuse in Children With Sentinel Injuries.

Objective: Child physical abuse is commonly missed, putting abused children at risk for repeated injury and death. Several so-called sentinel injuries have been suggested to be associated with high rates of abuse, and to imply the need for routine testing for other, occult traumatic injuries. Our objective was to determine rates of abuse evaluation and diagnosis among children evaluated at leading children's hospitals with these putative sentinel injuries.

Trajectories of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Self-Reported Health at Age 18.

Objective: Despite growing evidence of links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term health outcomes, there has been limited longitudinal investigation of such links in youth. The purpose of these analyses was to describe the patterns of exposure to ACEs over time and their links to youth health.

Methods: The current analyses used data from LONGSCAN, a prospective study of children at risk for or exposed to child maltreatment, who were followed from age 4 to age 18.

Determining child maltreatment incidence in Saudi Arabia using the ICAST-CH: a pilot study.

Studies in other countries, including countries with mandated reporting by professionals and a long history of recognition of the problem, have found child abuse to be seriously under reported. This population-based pilot study was conducted to determine the magnitude of adolescents' exposure to CAN at home, and to identify ethical and methodological challenges to conducting a survey on a culturally sensitive subject. This cross-sectional study was carried out in Al-Kharj city in 2011-2012.

Correlates of parent-youth discordance about youth-witnessed violence: a brief report.

Studies have consistently demonstrated a lack of agreement between youth and parent reports regarding youth-witnessed violence (YWV). However, little empirical investigation has been conducted on the correlates of disagreement. Concordance between youth and parents about YWV was examined in 766 parent-youth dyads from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN).