DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ABUSED CHILDREN (FROM CHILD ABUSE AND VIOLENCE, 1979, BY DAVID G GIL - SEE NCJ-56404)

• NCJ Number: 56413
• Author(s): E ELMER; G S GREGG
• Date Published: 1979
• Length: 14 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH-00880
• Sponsoring Agency: US Dept of Health, Education, and Welfare
• Corporate Author: AMS Press, Inc
• Publication Format: Document
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: FIRST PUBLISHED IN PEDIATRICS, V 40, N 4 (OCTOBER 1967)

Annotation

THE DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS OF 20 PHYSICALLY ABUSED CHILDREN ADMITTED TO CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL OF PITTSBURGH (PA.) FROM 1949 TO 1962 ARE EXAMINED.

Abstract

A MULTIDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH TEAM AT THE HOSPITAL REVIEWED THE RECORDS OF CHILDREN WHO HAD BEEN ADMITTED WITH BONE INJURIES INDICATIVE OF ABUSE, REEVALUATED THESE CHILDREN, AND ASSESSED THE DEVELOPMENT OF THOSE WHO DEFINITELY HAD BEEN ABUSED. THE REEVALUATION ENCOMPASSED COMPREHENSIVE PHYSICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE CHILDREN'S MOTHERS, AND REVIEWS OF SCHOOL, COURT, AND SOCIAL AGENCY RECORDS. THE PERIOD BETWEEN INITIAL HOSPITAL ADMISSION AND REEVALUATION RANGED FROM 1 YEAR AND 5 MONTHS TO 10 YEARS. ONLY TWO OF THE CHILDREN WERE NORMAL IN ALL RESPECTS. HOWEVER, ONLY ONE CONDITION--PHYSICAL DEFECTS IN ONE-THIRD OF THE CHILDREN--CLEARLY RESULTED FROM ABUSE ALONE. GROWTH FAILURE NOTED ON HOSPITAL ADMISSION APPARENTLY WAS REVERSIBLE. SUBJECTS WITH GROWTH FAILURE AND AMBIGUOUS COMPLAINTS UPON INITIAL ADMISSION WERE OLDER CHILDREN WHO APPEARED TO HAVE SUFFERED PROLONGED NEGLECT AS WELL AS ABUSE. THOSE WITH NORMAL GROWTH AND COMPLAINTS SUGGESTING RECENT INJURY WERE YOUNGER AND DID NOT APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN NEGLECTED. THE LATTER GROUP, WHICH INCLUDED THE TWO NORMAL CHILDREN, SHOWED MORE POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT IN ALL RESPECTS UPON REEVALUATION. OF THE 20 CHILDREN, 7 WERE BLACK. ONLY ONE OF THE CHILDREN WITH AMBIGUOUS COMPLAINT AND GROWTH FAILURE UPON ADMISSION WAS BLACK. BOTH NORMAL CHILDREN WERE BLACK. THE BLACK CHILDREN GENERALLY HAD LESS GROWTH RETARDATION AND EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE UPON REEVALUATION THAN DID WHITES, AND NO BLACK CHILDREN HAD PHYSICAL DEFECTS RELATED TO TRAUMA. THERE WERE INDICATORS THAT IMPROVEMENT IN ENVIRONMENT BENEFITED SOME CHILDREN, BUT 50 PERCENT OF THE GROUP WERE MENTALLY RETARDED UPON REEVALUATION REGARDLESS OF IMPROVEMENTS IN THEIR ENVIRONMENT OR RECOVERY FROM GROWTH FAILURE. SOME SHOWED SIGNS OF INCREASING PROBLEMS AS THEY APPROACHED ADOLESCENCE. AT LEAST FIVE APPEARED LIKELY TO BECOME PUBLIC CHARGES. ONLY A FEW GAVE PROMISE OF BECOMING SELF-SUFFICIENT ADULTS. IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS, PARTICULARLY THE CRUCIALITY OF EARLY DIAGNOSIS AND INTERVENTION FOR ABUSED CHILDREN, ARE DISCUSSED. A LIST OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)