NCJ Number
238311
Journal
Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 2 Dated: February 2012 Pages: 127-134
Date Published
February 2012
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This study focused on developing a set of characteristics for children with congenital bleeding disorders who present as potential victims of child abuse as well as identifying demographic characteristics that might be associated with disease.
Abstract
Findings from the study include the following: of the 189 children in the study, 15 percent (n=29) had an initial presentation of potential non-accidental trauma (NAT); of the children who were potential victims of child abuse, 51.8 percent had hemophilia, 48.3 percent had a family history of a named bleeding disorder, and 44.8 percent had von Willebrand disease (vWD), and almost 76 percent were under the age of 5; and children aged 9 months to 5 years old were more likely to present with potential NAT than older children. The findings also show that gender did not play a role in the presentation of potential NAT. This study focused on developing a set of characteristics for children with congenital bleeding disorders who present as potential victims of NAT and identifying demographic characteristics associated with disease. Data for the study were obtained from a review of characteristics of children (n=189) who were patients at a hemophilia treatment center. Information was collected on the demographic, historical, and disease characteristics of the children. This information was compared to previous research on children presenting with potential NAT. The findings indicate that children with congenital bleeding disorders may have signs of bleeding and bruising that would suggest possible NAT. Implications for the treatment of children presenting with patterned bruising/bleeding are discussed. Figure, tables, and references