Supriya Sharma1, Daphne Wong2, John Schomberg2, Chloe Knudsen-Robbins3, David Gibbs2, Carol Berkowitz4, Theodore Heyming5. 1. Emergency Department, Harbor-UCLA, United States. 2. Children's Health of Orange County, Orange, CA, United States. 3. University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, United States. 4. Pediatrics, Harbor-UCLA, United States. 5. Children's Health of Orange County, Orange, CA, United States; Emergency Department, University of California, Irvine, United States. Electronic address: theyming@choc.org.
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is widespread concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the incidence of child maltreatment. However, reports in the scientific literature documenting rates of child maltreatment during this period are scarce. This study was designed to explore whether the incidence of child maltreatment among patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients of all ages presenting to a pediatric Emergency Department trauma center, who also had a child abuse report filing or a sentinel injury diagnosis related to their index visit. All such patients who presented to this institution from March through July of 2017 through 2020 were included in the study. RESULTS: Analysis demonstrated an increase in the incidence of child maltreatment in May and June of 2020 and that there was an overall shift in distribution of types of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant increase in the proportion of emotional/psychological abuse (2.52 % before the pandemic to 7.00 % during the pandemic, p ≤ 0.0001) and non-medical neglect (31.5%-40.0%, p ≤ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increase in specific types of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the need for increased attention to children at risk for child abuse and neglect.
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: There is widespread concern that the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the incidence of child maltreatment. However, reports in the scientific literature documenting rates of child maltreatment during this period are scarce. This study was designed to explore whether the incidence of child maltreatment among patients presenting to a pediatric emergency department has increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective review of patients of all ages presenting to a pediatric Emergency Department trauma center, who also had a child abuse report filing or a sentinel injury diagnosis related to their index visit. All such patients who presented to this institution from March through July of 2017 through 2020 were included in the study. RESULTS: Analysis demonstrated an increase in the incidence of child maltreatment in May and June of 2020 and that there was an overall shift in distribution of types of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. There was a significant increase in the proportion of emotional/psychological abuse (2.52 % before the pandemic to 7.00 % during the pandemic, p ≤ 0.0001) and non-medical neglect (31.5%-40.0%, p ≤ 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: We observed an increase in specific types of child maltreatment during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings highlight the need for increased attention to children at risk for child abuse and neglect.
Authors: Amelia T Collings; Manzur Farazi; Kyle Van Arendonk; Mary E Fallat; Peter C Minneci; Thomas T Sato; K Elizabeth Speck; Katherine J Deans; Richard A Falcone; David S Foley; Jason D Fraser; Martin S Keller; Meera Kotagal; Matthew P Landman; Charles M Leys; Troy Markel; Nathan Rubalcava; Shawn D St Peter; Katherine T Flynn-O'Brien Journal: J Pediatr Surg Date: 2022-02-14 Impact factor: 2.549