Related Experiment Videos
Insights
Childhood abuse and illness are linked, with illnesses often appearing before abuse is reported. This suggests that infant health issues may precede and potentially contribute to maltreatment in vulnerable families.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Child Psychology
- Public Health
Background:
- Child maltreatment is associated with increased illness.
- The temporal relationship between abuse and illness is debated: does abuse cause illness, or do illnesses trigger abuse?
Purpose of the Study:
- To clarify the temporal sequence between childhood illnesses and maltreatment.
- To investigate the relationship between nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFT) and illness.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective chart review of health data from birth to 3 years for 80 children.
- Children categorized into abusive, neglectful, NOFT, and control groups.
- Data collectors were blinded to child classification.
Main Results:
- Abused children and those with NOFT showed higher illness rates than controls, particularly in early infancy, preceding reported abuse.
- Illness rates for neglected children did not differ significantly from controls.
- A subset of abused children (6) also exhibited increased early-life illnesses.
Conclusions:
- Infant illnesses may precede and potentially contribute to child abuse, especially in high-stress families.
- NOFT is associated with increased early childhood illness.
- Neglect does not show a similar association with increased illness rates.
Abstract:
Children who are abused have been said to have more illnesses than children who are not maltreated. The relationship between abuse and illness has been hypothesized to function in 2 ways: (1) that abuse precedes the illnesses and children from abusive homes become ill because of the damaging environment they endure, or, conversely, (2) that the illnesses precede the abuse, with the fussy behavior of ill children eliciting abuse. This study was intended to clarify the temporal relationship between illnesses and maltreatment. Health data were collected on a sample of 80 children: 11 from abusive families, 31 with nonorganic failure to thrive (NOFT), 14 from neglectful families, and 24 from control families. Hospital records (both inpatient and outpatient) for these children from the time of birth until they were 3 years old were searched by data collectors unaware of the child's classification. Children from abusive families or with NOFT appeared to be ill more often than control children, particularly during the first few months after birth, before abuse had been reported, but not necessarily before NOFT had been discovered. Health records of neglected children were not significantly different from those of controls. In addition to the abused. These 6 children also had more illnesses than control children, again particularly during the first few months after birth. Having ill children is described as a source of stress that may trigger abuse in an already stressed family.