Hospitalization for physical child abuse: Associated medical factors and medical history since birth

Abstract

BackgroundPhysical abuse often begins at a very young age and sometimes results in serious or fatal injuries. It is crucial to diagnose physical abuse as early as possible to protect this vulnerable population. ObjectiveTo study the factors associated with the first hospitalization for physical abuse from birth to the infant's first birthday in France. Participants and settingWe included all singleton children born in a hospital setting in France between 2009 and 2013, who were identified from the French national information system database (SNDS). MethodsTo study factors associated with the first hospitalization for physical abuse during the first year after birth, we used the Fine and Gray regression model. Factors included in the multivariate model were the infant's sex, prematurity, neonatal conditions, the number of hospitalizations (at least two), medical consultations and complementary universal health insurance (proxy for family precariousness and socio-economic vulnerability). ResultsOver the 2009–2013 period, among 3,432,921 newborn singletons, 903 (0.026 %) were hospitalized for physical abuse in the year following birth. Among the factors associated with physical abuse, such as prematurity (aHR = 2.2[1.8–2.7]), male sex (aHR = 1.3[1.2–1.5]), or having had at least two hospitalizations (aHR = 1.7[1.4–2.1]), we found that complementary universal health insurance coverage was the factor most associated (aHR = 4.1[3.5–4.7]) with being hospitalized for physical abuse. ConclusionThese findings could help introduce preventative measures for infant protection in certain groups, such as parents of infants born prematurely, especially if they are in a precarious situation. This study also suggests that particular attention should be paid to infants who have been hospitalized at least two times in the first year of life, whatever the reason.