Child maltreatment syndrome: demographics and developmental issues of inpatient cases
Singapore medical journal
;
: 612-617, 2015.
Article
in English
| WPRIM
| ID: wpr-276745
ABSTRACT
<p><b>INTRODUCTION</b>This study aimed to describe the demographic, social, developmental and behavioural profile of children hospitalised for alleged child maltreatment syndrome (CMS).</p><p><b>METHODS</b>This study was a retrospective review of the consecutive inpatient records of children (0-16 years) admitted to the National University Hospital, Singapore, for alleged CMS over a three-year period. Descriptive data on the demographic characteristics, alleged maltreatment, medical and developmental histories, and family background of these children were collected and analysed. Chi-square statistics were used to test whether family factors were associated with the type of maltreatment and the presence of developmental disorders.</p><p><b>RESULTS</b>A total of 89 children, who accounted for 90 admission cases, were studied. Physical abuse (70.0%) was the most common, followed by neglect (11.1%) and sexual abuse (7.8%). Child protection services had already been involved in 29.2% of the cases prior to the child's admission. Children who were victims of abuse were more likely to come from homes with a prior history of domestic violence (p = 0.028). Financial difficulty was found to be a risk factor for neglect (p = 0.005). Among the 89 children, 15.7% were found to have developmental disorders and 10.1% had mental health diagnoses. Children who had developmental disorders were more likely to have a parent with a mental health disorder (p = 0.002).</p><p><b>CONCLUSION</b>A sizeable proportion of the children admitted for alleged CMS had developmental or behavioural disorders. Clinicians have a role in ensuring that these children have appropriate follow-up plans. Children from high-risk families should be screened for maltreatment.</p>
Full text:
Available
Index:
WPRIM (Western Pacific)
Main subject:
Poverty
/
Singapore
/
Child, Abandoned
/
Child Abuse
/
Developmental Disabilities
/
Child, Institutionalized
/
Epidemiology
/
Prevalence
/
Retrospective Studies
/
Risk Factors
Type of study:
Etiology study
/
Observational study
/
Prevalence study
/
Prognostic study
/
Risk factors
Limits:
Adolescent
/
Child
/
Child, preschool
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Infant
/
Male
/
Infant, Newborn
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
English
Journal:
Singapore medical journal
Year:
2015
Type:
Article
Similar
MEDLINE
...
LILACS
LIS