Child abuse and neglect: A worldwide concern

Current Opinion in Pediatrics

Volumn 22, Issue 2, 2010, Pages 226-233

  Newton, Alice W ^a   Vandeven, Andrea M ^b  

^a HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL   (United States)

^b UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI KANSAS CITY SCHOOL OF MEDICINE   (United States)

Author keywords

Abusive head trauma; Child abuse; Child maltreatment; Child sexual abuse; Neglect; Shaken baby syndrome

Indexed keywords

CHILD ABUSE; CHILD NEGLECT; CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE; CLINICAL TRIAL; COGNITIVE THERAPY; DIAGNOSTIC ERROR; EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE; FATHER CHILD RELATION; HEAD INJURY; HUMAN; LONG TERM CARE; MEDICAL SOCIETY; OPHTHALMOLOGY; PARENTING EDUCATION; PRIORITY JOURNAL; PSYCHOTHERAPY; REVIEW; RISK REDUCTION; SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME; UNITED STATES; VITAMIN D DEFICIENCY; VULNERABLE POPULATION;

CHILD; CHILD ABUSE; CHILD ABUSE, SEXUAL; HUMANS;

EID: 77952246850     PISSN: 10408703     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1097/MOP.0b013e3283377931     Document Type: Review

References (41)

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2. Lee SJ, Bellamy JL, Guterman NB. Fathers, physical child abuse, and neglect: advancing the knowledge base. Child Maltreatment 2009;14:227-231. This article introduces a series addressing the complex role of fathers and father figures in the family unit, with detailed research articles which look at fathering by abusive men, the protective roles fathers play in reducing maternal risk of committing abuse, fathers as perceived by outside agencies, and substance abusing fathers. A must read.
3. Dubowitz H. Commentary on fathers and children and maltreatment: relation-ships matter most. Child Maltreatment 2009;14:291-292. A final editorial summing up the above listed articles. Howard Dubowitz has been a long-time advocate of the ecological model, which looks at both protective and harmful factors which play a role in the life of a child.
4. Dubowitz H. Tackling child neglect: a role for pediatricians. Pediatr Clin N Am 2009;56:363-378. A comprehensive review written by a leader in the field which is aimed at the practitioner. Especially useful are lists of questions to guide the assessment of possible child neglect and general principles for addressing the problem.
5. Berkoff MC, Zolotor AJ, Makoroff KL, et al. Has this prepubertal girl been sexually abused? J Am Med Assoc 2008;300:2779-2792. This article is a 'two-for-one'. First there is a great synopsis of the medical evaluation of child sexual abuse: how to do an appropriate history and physical with several diagrams and photos of normal and abnormal genital findings in prepubertal girls. Then the authors review those findings most useful in determining whether abuse has occurred or not on the basis of data extracted from multiple studies. The article is very useful to the clinician.
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10. Girardet RG, Lahoti S, Howard LA, et al. Epidemiology of sexually transmitted infections in suspected child victims of sexual assault. Pediatrics 2009;124:79-86. The authors report on a multicenter, large sample size study looking at the incidence of many STIs and making use of NAATs, comparing them with more traditional ('gold standard') culture methods.
11. Lindberg D, Makoroff K, Harper N, et al. Utility of hepatic transaminases to recognize abuse in children. Pediatrics 2009;124:509-516. This multicenter trial presents information which will help practitioners diagnose subtle cases of abdominal trauma, both aiding in the recognition of abuse and decreasing fatalities from missed injuries.
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14. Section on Radiology. Diagnostic imaging of child abuse. Pediatrics 2009;123:1430-1435. This document updates the standard of care which was set forth in 2000, addressing the various imaging modalities and their utility for different clinical situations. Included is a table listing the required films for a complete skeletal survey.
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17. Strouse PJ. Vitamin D deficiency vs. child abuse: what do we know now and where do we go? Pediatr Radiol 2009;39:1033. The editor of Pediatric Radiology summarizes the debate begun by two radiologists about the 'epidemic' of vitamin D deficiency rickets allegedly being misdiagnosed as child abuse. Any physician caring for children who may be abused should be aware of this series of articles.
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30. Gilbert R, Kemp A, Thoburn J, et al. Recognising and responding to child maltreatment. Lancet 2009;373:167-180. Another well done study in the Lancet series, this one summarizes data on the recognition of child maltreatment with a careful consideration of the role of screening (there are downsides!) and a discussion of contrasting philosophies of service provision: child welfare versus a child safety emphasis, with some application of international data. The authors include a useful table of the physical signs of child abuse and the data supporting their association with child maltreatment.
31. Bross DC, Krugman RD. Child maltreatment law and policy as a foundation for child advocacy. Pediatr Clin N Am 2009;56:429-439. The authors review the history of child advocacy in the US, making the argument that pediatricians should take the lead in creating policy to prevent child maltreatment.
32. Dubowitz H, Feigelman S, Lane W, Kim J. Pediatric primary care to help prevent child maltreatment: the safe environment for every kid (SEEK) model. Pediatrics 2009;123:858-864. The authors report on a practical model for reducing the rate of child maltreatment by adding increased surveillance and early intervention for families in a resident continuity clinic. The improved outcome for children is surprising given the modesty of the intervention.
33. Barr RG, Rivara FP, Barr M, et al. Effectiveness of educational materials designed to change knowledge and behaviors regarding crying and Shaken-Baby Syndrome in mothers of Newborns: a randomized, controlled trial. Pediatrics 2009;123:972-980. The title says it all: the first RCT of an intervention to increase knowledge and change behavior. But does it lead to a decrease in the incidence of AHT?
34. Prinz RJ, Sanders MR, Shapiro CJ, et al. Population-based prevention of child maltreatment: the U. S. Triple P System population trial. PrevSci 2009;10:1-12. Triple P is an evidence-based parenting intervention with a public health approach that has been shown to prevent child maltreatment. This study reports the results of a randomized trial, and included is an explanation of the five intervention levels used with communities and families, which is very informative.
35. Daro D, Dodge KA. Creating community responsibility for child protection: possibilities and challenges. Future Children 2009;19:67-91. The authors focus on community-based prevention models with a detailed description of the theoretical foundation for each of the programs.
36. Olds DL, Robinson J, Pettitt L, et al. Effects of home visits by paraprofessionals and by nurses: age 4 follow-up results of a randomized trial. Pediatrics 2002;114:1560-1568. (Pubitemid 41754918)
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38. Donelan-McCall N, Eckenrode J, Olds DL. Home visiting for the prevention of child maltreatment: lessons learned during the past 20 years. Pediatr Clin N Am 2009;56:389-403. David Olds, who created the Nurse Family Partnership, with his colleagues presents a history of the field of child abuse prevention, highlighting missteps along the way. This article is especially useful to those new to the field.
39. Council on Community Pediatrics (AAP). The role of preschool home-visiting programs in improving children's developmental and health outcomes. Pediatrics 2009;123:598-603. This study is an AAP policy statement specifically endorsing comprehensive home visiting programs by nurses (not para-professionals), and emphasizes their linkage to a pediatric medical home.
40. Shipman K, Taussig H. Mental health treatment of child abuse and neglect: the promise of evidence-based practice. Pediatr Clin N Am 2009;56:417-428. The authors begin with a discussion of how effective treatments are identified and go on to describe several that have met rigorous outcome criteria.
41. MacMillan HL, Wathen CN, Barlow J, et al. Interventions to prevent child maltreatment and associated impairment. Lancet 2009;373:250-266. The third article in the marvelous set of reviews in The Lancet. The authors systematically and comprehensively consider prevention and intervention programs addressing a wide range of child maltreatment, thoughtfully considering what makes some more effective than others. Especially useful are multiple 'panels' that consider topic areas in a concise bullet format.