NCJ Number
252905
Journal
American Journal of Preventive Medicine Volume: 54 Issue: 1 Dated: January 2018 Pages: 129-132
Date Published
January 2018
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Since official data sources do not provide researchers, practitioners, and policymakers with complete information on physical injury from child abuse, the current study provides a national estimate of the percentage of children who were injured during their most recent incident of physical abuse.
Abstract
Pooled data were used from three cross-sectional national telephone survey samples (N=13,052 children) included in the National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence completed in 2008, 2011, and 2014. Analyses completed in 2016 indicate that 8.4 percent of children experienced physical abuse by a caregiver. Among those with injury data, 42.6 percent were injured in the most recent incident. No differences in injury were observed by sex, age, race/ethnicity, or disability status. Victims living with two parents were less likely to be injured (27.1 percent) than those living in other family structures (53.8 percent-59 percent, p<0.001). Incidents involving an object were more likely to result in injury (59.3 percent vs 38.5 percent, p<0.05). Injured victims were significantly more likely to experience substantial fear (57.3 percent) than other victims (34.4 percent, p<0.001). A substantial percentage of physical abuse victims were physically hurt to the point that they still felt pain the next day due to bruising, a cut, or a broken bone. Self-report data indicate this is a more common problem than official data sources suggest. The lack of an object in an incident of physical abuse did not protect a child from injury. The results underscore the impact of childhood physical abuse and the importance of early prevention activities. (publisher abstract modified)