Child abuse rises as economy falls

The tanked economy may have another, more brutal impact on children. Researchers now have data that shows the number of abused children coming to hospitals has increased with the recession. 

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - The study counted kids who went to the hospital with severe brain injuries because of abuse. The study shows the number spiked as the economy went into recession.  

It is notable that there is no direct evidence linking the economy and child abuse, but the correlation is disturbing and warrants further study. Earlier anecdotal evidence has linked parental stress to abuse. Since poverty is stressful, it serves as a risk factor for child abuse. 

The study was published on Monday in the Journal of Pediatrics, and is based on data taken from hospitals in Kentucky, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Washington. The children counted were under the age of five. 

According to the study, from 2004 to 2009, 422 children were diagnosed with "abusive head trauma." The majority of those children were seen in ICU wards and 16 percent died of their injuries. The average age of the victims was a mere nine months.

The statistics that researchers are focusing on is the rate of abuse per 100,000 kids. Before December 2007, the rate was 8.9 per year per 100,000 kids. After December, the rate climbed to 14.7 per year.

In the U.S., approximately 1,800 toddlers are admitted to hospitals with head trauma every year. The number works out to about 1 in 3,300. However, the statistics are only evaluating head trauma, and researchers are fearful that the actual numbers may be much higher when other forms of abuse are factored in. 

Researchers are trying to explain the reason for the increase, but they can only guess at this time. The leading theory is that children are being left with caregivers, who are not parents, because parents sometimes cannot afford to care for them. Mothers do not tend to be perpetrators, but rather people the mothers give their kids to tend to harm the children.

Researchers say the findings should make policy makers think twice when they cut programs that are designed to support mothers and children. They may be exposing children to more danger as a result.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'