Related Experiment Video

Updated: Sep 28, 2025

A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)
07:01

A Pediatric Concussion Model in Mice: Closed Head Injury with Long-Term Disorders (CHILD)

Published on: February 7, 2025

571

Circumstances of injury in children with abusive versus non-abusive injuries

Lindsay Eysenbach1, John M Leventhal2, Julie R Gaither2

  • 1University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, United States of America.

Child Abuse & Neglect
|March 27, 2022
PubMed

Insights

Circumstances surrounding child injuries can predict abuse. Factors like father's presence, delayed care, and calling emergency medical services (EMS) increase suspicion for abuse, while witnessed events decrease it.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Forensic Medicine
  • Child Abuse Prevention

Background:

  • Previous research focused on injury characteristics, not the context of abusive versus non-abusive injuries.
  • The circumstances of injury (COI) are crucial but understudied in differentiating abuse.
  • Understanding COI can aid in identifying child abuse more effectively.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify predictors of abusive injuries within the circumstances of the injury (COI).
  • To distinguish between abusive and non-abusive injuries based on injury context.
  • To provide clinicians with tools for assessing potential child abuse.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study involving children under 3 years old hospitalized with head injuries or fractures.
  • Abusive (cases) and non-abusive (controls) injuries were determined by expert consensus, blinded to COI.
  • Multivariable logistic regression analyzed COI predictors for abusive injuries.

Main Results:

  • Abused children were less likely to have a clear event description.
  • Father's presence, delayed care (≥24h), and calling emergency medical services (EMS) were significant predictors of abuse.
  • Events being heard or the child being dropped were less likely associated with abuse.

Conclusions:

  • Five COI predictors can assist clinicians in identifying child abuse.
  • Circumstantial factors provide valuable insights beyond injury characteristics.
  • This study highlights the importance of detailed injury context in child abuse evaluations.
Abstract

Keywords:
Circumstances of injuryExtracranial fractureHead injuryPhysical abuse

More Related Videos

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime07:36

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

8.6K
A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Recovery in Youth Athletes Following Concussion10:31

A Multi-Modal Approach to Assessing Recovery in Youth Athletes Following Concussion

Published on: September 25, 2014

13.6K

Related Concept Videos

Bullying02:04

Bullying

A modern form of aggression is bullying. As you learn in your study of child development, socializing and playing with other children is beneficial for children’s psychological development. However, as you may have experienced as a child, not all play behavior has positive outcomes. Some children are aggressive and want to play roughly. Other children are selfish and do not want to share toys. One form of negative social interactions among children that has become a national concern is...
8.5K
Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings01:29

Relationship with Other Adult Family Members and Siblings

Other adult family members and siblings play a crucial role in shaping children’s social and emotional development. While parents or primary caregivers are often the central figures in early attachment and socialization, other adults in a child’s life, such as grandparents, aunts, and uncles, can significantly influence developmental outcomes. These influences depend on each adult’s personality and may help compensate when a primary caregiver is emotionally distant or...
13
Fractures: Bone Repair01:27

Fractures: Bone Repair

Treatment for a fracture is based on the type of break, the bone affected, and the patient's age.
Minor fractures with no bone displacement are treated by immobilizing the fractured bone using a cast or splint. However, in the case of fractures with displaced bones, the broken bones are repositioned before immobilization to ensure successful healing without deformation and loss of function. The realignment of fractured bone ends is performed through a process called reduction. If the...
3.8K
Conduct Disorder01:28

Conduct Disorder

Conduct disorder is a complex mental health diagnosis characterized by a repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior that violates societal norms, the rights of others, or age-appropriate rules. The diagnostic criteria for conduct disorder require the presence of at least three problematic behaviors within the past 12 months, with at least one occurring in the past six months. These behaviors are grouped into four categories: aggression toward people and animals; destruction of property;...
163
Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood03:34

Theory of Romantic Attachment in Adulthood

Attachment is a long-standing connection or bond with others. While Attachment Theory was conceived in developmental psychology to describe infant-caregiver bonding, it's been extended into adulthood to include romantic relationships. 
44.9K
Aggression01:47

Aggression

Humans engage in aggression when they seek to cause harm or pain to another person. Aggression takes two forms depending on one’s motives: hostile or instrumental. Hostile aggression is motivated by feelings of anger with intent to cause pain; a fight in a bar with a stranger is an example of hostile aggression. In contrast, instrumental aggression is motivated by achieving a goal and does not necessarily involve intent to cause pain (Berkowitz, 1993); a contract killer who murders for...
28.2K