Infant abusive head trauma in a military cohort.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the rate of, and risk factors for, abusive head trauma (AHT) among infants born to military families and compare with civilian population rates. METHODS: Electronic International Classification of Diseases data from the US Department of Defense (DoD) Birth and Infant Health Registry were used to identify infants born to military families from 1998 through 2005 (N = 676 827) who met the study definition for AHT. DoD Family Advocacy Program data were used to identify infants with substantiated reports of abuse. Rates within the military were compared with civilian population rates by applying an alternate AHT case definition used in a civilian study. RESULTS: Applying the study definition, the estimated rate of substantiated military AHT was 34.0 cases in the first year of life per 100 000 live births. Using the alternate case definition, the estimated AHT rate was 25.6 cases per 100 000 live births. Infant risk factors for AHT included male sex, premature birth, and a diagnosed major birth defect. Parental risk factors included young maternal age (<21 years), lower sponsor rank or pay grade, and current maternal military service. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first large database study of AHT with the ability to link investigative results to cases. Overall rates of AHT were consistent with civilian populations when using the same case definition codes. Infants most at risk, warranting special attention from military family support programs, include infants with parents in lower military pay grades, infants with military mothers, and infants born premature or with birth defects.

Evaluating the epidemiology of inflicted traumatic brain injury in infants of U.S. military families.

BACKGROUND: Evaluating the incidence of inflicted traumatic brain injuries (inflicted TBI) in young children, and encompassing shaken baby syndrome (SBS) and related injuries, is an epidemiologic challenge. Data available regarding military families in the U.S. may complement other national surveillance efforts. METHODS: A protocol was developed to assess the epidemiology of inflicted TBI among infants of U.S. military families, integrating data from the Department of Defense Birth and Infant Health Registry, healthcare utilization databases, child abuse reporting systems, and military personnel databases. The in-progress protocol, and its inherent strengths and limitations, are described here. DISCUSSION: The primary strengths of data from U.S. military families are related to the full characterization of the denominator, such that analyses are person-time and population based. Unique data are available to describe the full population of military parents, including occupational, geographic, and socioeconomic factors, as well as deployment-related potential stressors. The limitations of military data are similar to many other child abuse surveillance systems in that cases are underreported and not fully characterized. Linking abuse reports and medical utilization data to population data, however, will allow unique analyses of "probable" and "possible" cases of inflicted TBI in infants of military families. CONCLUSIONS: Data from the U.S. military, when appropriately linked and analyzed, provide opportunities to evaluate important risk factors for inflicted TBI in infants. Although epidemiologic challenges may make incidence rates using military data noncomparable to rates using other data sources, multivariate analyses can evaluate critical and unique risk factors, as well as the effectiveness of prevention initiatives.

Domestic violence in the military: women's policy preferences and beliefs concerning routine screening and mandatory reporting.

OBJECTIVES: This study describes active duty military (ADM) women's beliefs and preferences concerning domestic violence (DV) policy in the military. METHODS: Telephone interviews were completed with 474 ADM women from all services, 119 of whom had experienced DV during their military service. RESULTS: A majority (57%) supported routine screening. Although 87% said the military's policy on mandatory reporting should remain the same, only 48% thought abuse should be reported to the commanding officer; abused women were significantly less likely than nonabused women to agree with this aspect of the policy. ADM women's beliefs were similar to those of women in a previously studied civilian sample, except that 73% of ADM compared to 43% of civilian women thought routine screening would increase women's risk of further abuse. CONCLUSIONS: ADM women recognized both advantages and disadvantages of current DV policies. More research is urgently needed about actual outcomes of screening and reporting policies.