Child maltreatment mortality in Canada: An analysis of coroner and medical examiner data

Fatalities are the most severe consequence of child maltreatment, but there are gaps in what is known about the epidemiology of such deaths in Canada.

The objectives of this study were to: (1) identify child maltreatment deaths among those classified as homicide or undetermined manner; (2) estimate rates of child maltreatment mortality by sex, age, geography, and year; and (3) measure differences between rates of child maltreatment mortality and homicide mortality.

We used a cross-sectional design and analyzed mortality data from the Canadian Coroner and Medical Examiner Database for a ten-year period (2007 to 2016). To identify child maltreatment deaths, we reviewed narrative data about children aged 0 to 17 years old whose deaths were classified as homicide or undetermined. Descriptive statistics, mortality rates, and incidence rate ratios were calculated.

Among the 1758 child deaths due to homicide or an undetermined manner, maltreatment was the probable cause in 20.4 % (n = 359) of deaths; most child maltreatment deaths (72.1 %, n = 259) were among children younger than 5 years old. The national child maltreatment mortality rate was 0.55 deaths per 100,000; the rate was highest among infants (3.43 per 100,000) and decreased at older ages.

This study provides evidence about the epidemiology of child maltreatment mortality in Canada.