The Relationship between “Protection of” and “Violence Against” Infants and Young Children: The U.S. Experience, 1940–2005

Jack E Riggs ,Gerald R Hobbs

doi:10.3390/socsci3030394

Abstract

Between 1940 and 2005, in the United States, the rate of unnatural death declined about 75 percent in infant and young child boys and girls; a remarkable indicator of successful child protection. During this same period, the rate of reported homicide in infant boys increased 64.0 percent, in infant girls increased 43.5 percent, in young child boys increased 333.3 percent, and in young child girls increased 300.0 percent, a dismal and disturbing indicator of failed child protection. Can these simultaneously encouraging and discouraging observations be reconciled? The four categories of unnatural death, homicide, suicide, motor vehicle accident (MVA), and non-MVA, are mutually exclusive classifications. Correlations between the four categories of unnatural death among U.S. men and woman in all age groups for the years 1940 through 2005 were calculated. A negative correlation between homicide and non-MVA death rates was shown for all age groups, encompassing the entire human lifespan, in both genders. This consistently observed negative correlation was only observed between homicide and non-MVA death rates, and was not demonstrated between other causes of unnatural deaths. Moreover, this negative correlation was strongest (less than −0.7) in infants and young children. These observations are consistent with the suggestion that as the rate of unnatural death in infants and young children dramatically declined, society gave greater scrutiny to those fewer occurring unnatural deaths and demonstrated an increasing propensity to assign blame for those fewer deaths.

Highlights

Over the past several decades, the problem of infant and child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect has received increased public notice and awareness [1,2,3]
One measure of how well a society is protecting its youngest citizens is the rate of unnatural death in that group
Rates of unnatural death attributed to homicide in infants and young children (Figures 3, 4, 7 and 8) increased dramatically over this same time period in the United States

Summary

Introduction

Over the past several decades, the problem of infant and child abuse, maltreatment, and neglect has received increased public notice and awareness [1,2,3]. Infant and child homicide are most frequently the result of abuse by a parent or custodial adult with psychiatric dysfunction [6,7,8]. In the United States, infant and child homicide became the focus of increased attention in the 1960s [9,10]. Of note, identified risk factors in infant homicide and accidental death are similar [1,11,12]. Head injury is frequently observed in both intentional and accidental deaths in infants and young children [13,14]

Methods

Results

Conclusion