NCJ Number
216112
Journal
Child Maltreatment Volume: 11 Issue: 3 Dated: August 2006 Pages: 247-256
Date Published
August 2006
Length
10 pages
Annotation
Utilizing population-based data from San Diego County, CA, this study examined the diagnostic significance of prior family referral to child protective services (CPS) in cases of sudden infant death.
Abstract
Study findings indicate that no family had more than one infant death. At least 27 percent of the families in each group had at least one CPS referral. The data suggests that a family referral to CPS prior to the sudden death of their infant does not increase the likelihood that it was caused by inflicted injuries. The data from this study, as well as those of other studies suggest that prior CPS referral alone, regardless of disposition does not reliably distinguish sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) from deaths from other causes, including inflicted injuries. This study searched CPS data for the 5-year referral history on 533 families whose infants died suddenly from SIDS, other natural diseases, accidents, or inflicted injuries and underwent postmortem examination by the medical examiner during a 10-year period. Data were collected from all post-neonatal infant death cases under the jurisdiction of the San Diego Medical Examiner’s office from 1991 to 2000. The study compared the demographic profiles among these infants from all four groups previously mentioned, the number and disposition of CPS referrals regarding the index cases until their death, and the number and disposition of CPS referrals regarding the families of these groups of infants within 5 years prior to the death of the infant. Tables, figure, and references