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Identification and Evaluation of Abused Children at Imam Hossein Hospital
Fariba Arabghol1, Firooze Derakhshanpour2, Rozita Davari Ashtiyani1
1Behavioral Science Research Center, Imam Hossein Hospital, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran; Department of Psychiatry, Imam Hossein Hospital, Tehran, IR Iran.
Insights
Child abuse, including physical and emotional abuse, is prevalent and often linked to psychiatric disorders in children and parents. Early identification and intervention are crucial to mitigate long-term harm.
Area of Science:
- Child psychiatry
- Pediatric medicine
- Forensic psychology
Background:
- Child abuse inflicts lasting physical and mental harm on children, families, and society.
- The negative consequences of child abuse extend into adulthood.
- Identifying and addressing child abuse is critical for public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify and evaluate cases of child abuse and neglect.
- To assess the prevalence of different forms of child abuse in a medical setting.
- To investigate the psychiatric profiles of abused children and their parents.
Main Methods:
- A descriptive-analytic study was conducted at a medical center.
- 73 children and adolescents diagnosed with abuse or neglect were evaluated.
- Assessments included the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS), Kiddie-SADS, and child abuse questionnaires.
Main Results:
- Physical abuse was identified in 76% of cases, and emotional abuse in 72.6%.
- Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) was the most common psychiatric disorder in abused children (65.8%).
- Mothers commonly presented with general anxiety disorder (34.8%) and depression (33.3%), while fathers showed substance abuse (19.7%).
Conclusions:
- Child abuse is frequently associated with psychiatric disorders in both children and parents.
- Timely identification and intervention are essential to prevent adverse outcomes.
- Addressing child abuse can mitigate negative consequences for individuals and society.
Background:
Child abuse is a phenomenon that confronts the child, family, and society with irretrievable physical and mental injuries, and its negative effects continue until adulthood.
Objectives:
The present study was conducted to identify and evaluate cases of abused children at a medical center.
Patients And Methods:
This is a descriptive-analytic study. The subjects were all children and adolescents who were referred to Imam Hussein hospital within 6 months due to physical or psychiatric reasons and were diagnosed with child abuse and neglect by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. The number of these children was 73. Children and their parents were assessed by schedule for affective disorders and schizophrenia (SADS), Kiddie-SADS, and child abuse and demographic questionnaires. The statistical methods of mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the data.
Results:
56 cases (76%) were physically abused, 53 cases (72.6%) were emotionally abused, and 3 cases (12.3%) were neglected. The most common psychiatric disorder in abused children was ADHD (65.8%). The next most common were oppositional defiant disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, general anxiety disorder, and enuresis. About 80% of the abused children had at least one psychiatric disorder. The most common psychiatric disorders in mothers were general anxiety disorder (34.8%) and depression (33.3%), and in fathers, it was substance abuse (19.7%).
Conclusions:
Child abuse is a common phenomenon that relates to psychiatric disorders in the abused child or abuser parents. It seems that on-time identification and appropriate interventions can prevent further negative consequences for the child, family, and society.