Monday, October 11, 2021

Study confirms rise in child abuse during COVID-19 pandemic

By Denise Mann, HealthDay News

Physical abuse of school-aged kids tripled during the early months of the pandemic when widespread stay-at-home orders were in effect, a new study finds.

Exactly what triggered the surge is not fully understood, but other studies have also reported similar upticks in child abuse. A pediatrician who was not involved in the new research suspects COVID-19 and pandemic-related stresses created a "perfect storm" for abuse.

"Stressful situations can be a trigger for poor judgment and impulsive reactions," said Dr. Allison Jackson, division chief of the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C.

"There was a great deal of economic stress, job insecurity, and loss of housing potential during this time frame along with the closing of schools, which can be a reprieve for parents and kids," Jackson said.

For the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 39,000 children treated at nine pediatric trauma centers between March and September of last year. Of these, 2,064 were victims of suspected child abuse.

Among children aged 5 and older, the number of child abuse victims tripled to 103, up from an average of 36 during a similar period before the pandemic, the study found.

Researchers said a greater proportion of older children reported abuse after stay-at-home orders went into effect last year.

"The most common injury identified was head injury, followed by a mix of chest, abdomen, extremity and burn injuries," said senior study author Dr. Katherine Flynn-O'Brien, associate trauma medical director at Children's Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

The overarching public health message is clear, she said.

"Systemic safeguards such as social services that help families, particularly those least resourced and most vulnerable, should be considered essential during a national crisis," Flynn-O'Brien said.

The findings are to be presented Saturday at an online meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Findings presented at meetings are typically considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

Dr. Andrea Asnes is a leader of the AAP Council on Child Abuse and Neglect and director of Yale Programs for Safety, Advocacy and Healing in New Haven, Conn.

Despite the rise in abuse of school-aged children, she pointed out that other studies have found no increase in abuse of younger children during this same time frame.

"Daycare centers for little kids were considered essential and remained open, which allowed some families to function, but older kids were stuck at home," she explained.

Unfortunately, the new study may just be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to child abuse in older kids during the pandemic, she added.

"The vast majority of child physical abuse is not managed in the hospital," said Asnes, who was not involved in the study. "Older kids who get punched or beaten with a belt don't always require medical care, so it's certainly possible that more abuse could have gone undetected."

Jackson also noted that these older children weren't going to school or seeing other adults who might have noticed and reported the abuse.

"The onus is usually on the bystander to report child abuse," she added.

The hope is that with the world is opening up and schools again in session, rates of child abuse will decrease, Jackson said.

"We are seeing a decrease back to baseline levels in my practice," she added.More information

Learn how you can help if you suspect a child is being abused at ChildCare.gov.

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More than 140K U.S. children have lost a caregiver to COVID-19

By HealthDay News


In the United States, roughly 1 in 4 COVID-19 deaths has left a child without a caregiver -- either primary or secondary -- according to a new study. File Photo by Sarah Silbiger/UPI | License Photo

It is an excruciating statistic: One in every four COVID-19 deaths in the United States leaves a child without a parent or other caregiver, researchers report.

The analysis of data shows that from April 2020 to July 2021, more than 120,000 children under the age of 18 lost a primary caregiver -- a parent or grandparent who provided housing, basic needs and care -- and about 22,000 lost a secondary caregiver, often grandparents who provided housing, but not most basic needs.

"Children facing orphanhood as a result of COVID-19 is a hidden, global pandemic that has sadly not spared the United States," study author Susan Hillis, a U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researcher, said in a U.S. National Institutes of Health news release.

Overall, about 1 in 500 children in the United States have become orphans or lost a grandparent caregiver to COVID-19, according to the study published Thursday in the journal Pediatrics.

Children of racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 65% of youngsters who lost a primary caregiver to COVID-19, compared with 35% of white children, even though whites account for 61% of the U.S. population, and people of racial and ethnic minorities represent 39% of the population.

Orphanhood or the death of a primary caregiver due to COVID-19 was experienced by: 1 of every 168 American Indian/Alaska Native children, 1 of every 310 Black children, 1 of every 412 Hispanic children, 1 of every 612 Asian children, and 1 of every 753 White children.

Compared to White children, American Indian/Alaska Native children were 4.5 times more likely to lose a parent or grandparent caregiver, Black children were 2.4 times more likely, and Hispanic children were 1.8 times more likely.

States with large populations -- California, Texas and New York -- had the highest overall numbers of children who lost primary caregivers to COVID-19.

The researchers also found significant racial/ethnic differences between states.

In New Mexico, Texas, and California, 49% to 67% of children who lost a primary caregiver were Hispanic.

In Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi, 45% to 57% of children who lost a primary caregiver were Black.

American Indian/Alaska Native children who lost a primary caregiver were more common in South Dakota (55%), New Mexico (39%), Montana (38%), Oklahoma (23%), and Arizona (18%).

The fallout from losing a parent is significant for children: It is associated with mental health problems fewer years of school lower self-esteem high-risk sexual behaviors and increased risk of substance abuse, suicide, violence, sexual abuse and exploitation, the researchers noted.

"All of us -- especially our children -- will feel the serious immediate and long-term impact of this problem for generations to come. Addressing the loss that these children have experienced -- and continue to experience -- must be one of our top priorities, and it must be woven into all aspects of our emergency response, both now and in the post-pandemic future," Hillis said.

"The magnitude of young people affected is a sobering reminder of the devastating impact of the past 18 months," said study co-lead researcher Alexandra Blenkinsop, from Imperial College London.

"These findings really highlight those children who have been left most vulnerable by the pandemic, and where additional resources should be directed," Blenkinsop said.More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics has more on childhood grief

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