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Maternal, prenatal and postnatal risk factors for early child physical abuse: a French nationwide cohort study

Flora Blangis1,2,3,4, Jérôme Drouin1, Elise Launay2,3,5

  • 1EPI-PHARE Scientific Interest Group, French National Agency for Medicines and Health Products Safety (ANSM), French National Health Insurance (CNAM), F-93200, Saint-Denis, France.

The Lancet Regional Health. Europe
|July 29, 2024
PubMed

Insights

Maternal factors like young age, low financial resources, and substance use disorders significantly increase the risk of early child physical abuse (CPA). Identifying these risk factors is key for developing targeted prevention programs.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatrics
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Child physical abuse (CPA) poses a significant public health challenge, necessitating research into its underlying risk factors.
  • Understanding the maternal, prenatal, and postnatal factors associated with early CPA is crucial for developing effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To identify maternal, prenatal, and postnatal factors associated with early child physical abuse (CPA).
  • To inform the development of targeted prevention strategies and risk-stratification tools for CPA.

Main Methods:

  • A nationwide cohort study utilizing the Mother-Child EPI-MERES register in France (2010-2019).
  • Inclusion of all live-born infants, with analysis of factors associated with CPA before age one using a multilevel Cox regression model.

Main Results:

  • Nearly 3,000 infants (40/100,000) were diagnosed with early CPA.
  • Strongest independent risk factors included maternal age under 20, low financial resources, substance use disorders (alcohol, opioids), intimate partner violence, maternal mental/somatic disorders, very preterm birth, and infant neurocognitive disorders.

Conclusions:

  • Identified risk factors for early CPA in France can enhance understanding of its mechanisms.
  • Findings support the development of prevention programs and risk-stratification tools to optimize parenting interventions for at-risk families.
Abstract

Keywords:
EPI-MERES registerEarly child physical abuseFrench national health data systemMaternal, prenatal and postnatal factorsNationwide cohort

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