Trends in hospital encounters for child physical abuse through the COVID-19 pandemic

Area of Science:

• Pediatrics
• Public Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Initial concerns suggested the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic might increase child physical abuse.
• Limited data exists on child abuse trends during later pandemic phases and policy changes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate child abuse and related injury hospital encounter volumes across three COVID-19 pandemic periods compared to prepandemic.
• To identify demographic shifts in child abuse epidemiology during the pandemic.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of hospital encounters for abuse and injuries concerning abuse.
• Data collected from 42 US children's hospitals from January 1, 2018, to June 30, 2023.
• Comparison of median monthly encounter volumes and patient characteristics across prepandemic and pandemic periods.

Main Results:

• Overall hospital encounters for child abuse and related injuries showed no significant increase throughout the pandemic.
• Encounter volumes remained stable even in the late pandemic period after economic relief policies ended.
• Hispanic children constituted an increasing proportion of abuse cases over the study duration.

Conclusions:

• Child physical abuse incidence, measured by hospital encounters, did not rise during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Emerging demographic trends indicate a growing proportion of Hispanic children among abuse cases.
• Ongoing surveillance is crucial to understand evolving child abuse patterns.