CHICAGO (AP) — An increase in child abuse, mostly
in infants, is linked with the recent recession in new research that raises
fresh concerns about the impact of the nation's economic woes.
The results are in a study of 422 abused children
from mostly lower-income families, known to face greater risks for being
abused, and the research involved just 74 counties in four states. But lead
author Dr. Rachel Berger of Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh said the results
confirm anecdotal reports from many pediatricians who've seen increasing
numbers of shaken baby cases and other forms of brain-injuring abuse.
Berger decided to study this type of injury, known as
abusive head trauma, after noticing an increase at her own hospital from late
2007 through June 2009. Her hospital averaged 30 cases per year during those
recession years versus 17 yearly before 2007.
Though this abuse is still uncommon, the number of cases
in the counties studied increased sharply, rising from about 9 cases per
100,000 children in pre-recession years, to almost 15 per 100,000 kids during
the recession — a 65 percent increase.
By contrast, juvenile diabetes — a better-known
condition — affects about 19 per 100,000 children younger than age 10.
Children studied were younger than 5, and most were
infants. Most suffered brain damage and 69 died, though the death rate didn't
rise during the recession.
Unemployment rates in the 74 counties rose during
the five-year study. The proportion of children on Medicaid in those counties
also increased, from 77 percent before the recession to 83 percent. However,
insurance and family employment information were not reported for the abused
children in the study.
Combine the stress of raising a young child with
wage cuts or lost jobs and you get "a sort of toxic brew in terms of
thinking about possible physical violence," said Mark Rank, a social
welfare professor at Washington University in St. Louis. He said the study
echoes sociological research linking violence with declines in economic
well-being.
Along with U.S. Census data released last week
indicating that a record 46 million Americans are poor, the study shows that
"as poverty goes up and economic stagnation continues...there are really
human costs involved," Rank said.
The counties studied included Pittsburgh and
western Pennsylvania; central and southern Ohio; and a handful of counties in northern
Kentucky and in the Seattle area. The researchers examined medical records and
national labor statistics for 2004 through November 2007 and compared them with
data from the recession.
Of the 422 children diagnosed with abusive head
trauma during the study, roughly 65 cases occurred each year before the
recession, versus about 108 yearly during the recession.
Federal government data suggest that the recession
did not affect child abuse rates. But the study authors said those numbers are
based on reports from child protective services, not medical diagnoses, and did
not address brain injuries specifically.
The research doesn't prove that the recession
caused the abuse. Studying different regions and children from more
middle-class families would help clarify if the recession really played a role,
said Dr. Peter Sherman, director of the residency program in social pediatrics
at Montefiore Medical Center in New York.
Sherman noted that most children studied were
publicly insured even before the recession, suggesting that their families were
already struggling financially.
Still, the recession affected many lower-income
families, and Sherman said the study highlights "a very important
issue."
Many of his patients are from poor families and
abuse is not uncommon, he said.
He said pediatricians could help with prevention by
asking families about difficulties paying for food or shelter and referring
those in need to social service agencies. Sometimes just asking parents about
stresses in their lives and acknowledging their struggles can help, he said.
Most parents who abuse young children aren't
"ill-intentioned," he said. "Most of it is kind of just
snapping...maybe being sleep-deprived and just losing it. It's something that
can happen to anyone. Economics is just another stress" that can increase
the risks, Sherman said.
Copyright
2011 The Associated Press.
