Objective: Physicians are occasionally asked to evaluate children who are reported to have been victims of witnessed abuse, but who have no injuries noted on examination. The rate of injury in these patients is presently unknown. This is important because abuse allegations are brought for both altruistic and other reasons. This study compares the use of skeletal survey and neuroimaging in well-appearing and clearly injured children reported to be victims of witnessed child abuse.
Methods: Retrospectively planned secondary analysis of the Examination of Siblings to Recognize Abuse cohort of children referred to a child abuse pediatrician with concerns for physical abuse. Children were selected who presented to a medical provider with a history of witnessed child abuse including shaking. Rates of radiographically evident injuries are noted among children with and without injuries noted on physical examination.
Results: Among 2890 children evaluated by a child abuse pediatrician, 90 children (3.1%) presented with a history of witnessed abuse. Among these, 51 children (57%) had injuries noted on physical examination; 9 (29%) of 31 skeletal surveys and 9 (35%) of 26 neuroimaging studies revealed injuries. Of 39 children (43%) with witnessed abuse and normal examination, 3 (10%) of 30 skeletal surveys and 2 (8%) of 25 neuroimaging studies revealed an injury.
Conclusions: A significant minority of children evaluated for allegations of witnessed abuse will have occult injuries identified radiographically. Absence of injury on examination should not deter physicians from obtaining otherwise indicated skeletal surveys and neuroimaging in children reported to have experienced witnessed abuse.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/PEC.0000000000001096 | DOI Listing |
East Mediterr Health J
December 2024
Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine, Tirana, Albania.
Background: Child maltreatment is a global issue that significantly impacts children's lives. In 2018, 32% of 15-year-olds in Albania reported experiencing physical abuse.
Aim: To assess the prevalence and sociodemographic correlates of child abuse and neglect in Albania.
Prev Med
January 2025
Division of Birth Defects and Infant Disorders, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Hwy, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Introduction: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are preventable, potentially traumatic events that occur in childhood. Alcohol use during pregnancy can result in miscarriage, stillbirth, preterm birth, and a range of lifelong behavioral, intellectual, and physical disabilities in the child. Limited research has examined the relationship between ACEs and alcohol use in pregnancy; available studies might not reflect current trends in this relationship.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Psychol
December 2024
Faculty of Sociology and Communication, Transilvania University of Brasov, Brașov, Romania.
Introduction: With the significant increase in the number of social media users, the degree of cyberbullying has also increased in a directly proportional manner. Cyberbullying manifests itself in the commission of psychological abuses, teenagers being the most vulnerable.
Methods: The purpose of our paper was to analyze how the phenomenon of cyberbullying manifests in terms of frequency on social media platforms, while taking into account factors such as gender, and elements related to the behavior/reactions of witnesses and victims.
JAMA Netw Open
December 2024
Department of Psychiatry, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, New York.
Importance: Given the personal and social burdens of opioid use disorder (OUD), understanding time trends in OUD prevalence in large patient populations is key to planning prevention and treatment services.
Objective: To examine trends in the prevalence of OUD from 2005 to 2022 overall and by age, sex, and race and ethnicity.
Design, Setting, And Participants: This serial cross-sectional study included national Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic medical record data from the VHA Corporate Data Warehouse.
BMC Public Health
December 2024
Health, Behavior, and Society, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 624 N. Broadway St, Baltimore, MD, 21205, USA.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the salience of material needs and financial precarity on mental health and distress. Women who use drugs (WWUD) experienced significant mental distress and multiple material need insecurities before the pandemic. However, research is limited on the nature of these insecurities during the pandemic despite both material scarcity and mental distress placing WWUD at greater risk of drug-related harms such as overdose.
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