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Children and youth with special healthcare needs are at risk for severe consequences during infectious disease emergencies. Messages for parents and caregivers from trusted sources, via preferred channels, that contain the information they need, may improve health outcomes for this population. In this mixed methods study, we conducted a survey (N = 297) and 80 semistructured interviews, with 70 caregivers of children and youth and 10 young adults with special healthcare needs, between April 2018 and June 2019 in Pennsylvania. The survey presented 3 scenarios (ie, storm, disease outbreak, radiation event); the interviews included questions about storms and an outbreak. This article addresses only the disease outbreak data from each set. Participants were recruited through convenience samples from an urban tertiary care children's hospital and practices in a statewide medical home network. In this article, we summarize the preferred information sources, channels, and content needs of caregivers of children and youth with special healthcare needs during an infectious disease emergency. Nearly 84% of caregivers reported that they believe their child's doctor is the best source of information. Other preferred sources include medical experts (31%); the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (30%); friends, family, and neighbors (21%); and local or state health and emergency management (17%). Pediatric healthcare providers play an important role in providing information to parents and caregivers of children and youth with special healthcare needs during an infectious disease emergency. Public health agencies can establish health communication plans that integrate medical practices and other reliable sources to promote the dissemination of accurate information from trusted messengers.

Published reports suggest that the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a negative effect on children's mental health (1,2). Emergency departments (EDs) are often the first point of care for children experiencing mental health emergencies, particularly when other services are inaccessible or unavailable (3). During March 29-April 25, 2020, when widespread shelter-in-place orders were in effect, ED visits for persons of all ages declined 42% compared with the same period in 2019; during this time, ED visits for injury and non-COVID-19-related diagnoses decreased, while ED visits for psychosocial factors increased (4). To assess changes in mental health-related ED visits among U.S. children aged

Clinical guidelines recommend that primary care providers (PCPs) provide guidance and support to ensure a planned transition from pediatric to adult health care for adolescents, beginning at age 12 years (1). However, most adolescents do not receive the recommended health care transition planning (2). This is particularly concerning for adolescents with diagnosed mental, behavioral, and developmental disorders (MBDDs) (3), who account for approximately 20% of U.S. adolescents (4). Childhood MBDDs are linked to increased long-term morbidity and mortality; timely health care transition planning might mitigate adverse outcomes (5,6). CDC analyzed pooled, parent-reported data from the 2016 and 2017 National Survey of Children's Health (NSCH), comparing adolescents, aged 12-17 years, with and without MBDDs on a composite measure and specific indicators of recommended health care transition planning by PCPs. Overall, approximately 15% of adolescents received recommended health care transition planning: 15.8% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.1%-17.5%) of adolescents with MBDDs, compared with 14.2% (95% CI = 13.2%-15.3%) of adolescents without MBDDs. Relative to peers without MBDDs and after adjusting for age, adolescents with anxiety were 36% more likely to receive recommended health care transition planning, and those with depression were 69% more likely; adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) were 35% less likely to receive such transition planning, and those with developmental delay* were 25% less likely. Fewer than 20% of adolescents with MBDDs receiving current treatment met the transition measure. These findings suggest that a minority of adolescents with MBDDs receive recommended transition planning, indicating a potential missed public health opportunity to prevent morbidity and mortality in a population at high risk for health care disengagement (1). Improving access to comprehensive and coordinated programs and services,† as well as increasing provider training concerning adolescents' unique mental and physical health care needs (7), could help increase the number of adolescents benefiting from successful health care transitions (4).

Emergency response to emerging threats with the potential for vertical transmission, such as the 2015 to 2017 response to Zika virus, presents unique clinical challenges that underscore the need for better communication and care coordination between obstetric and pediatric providers to promote optimal health for women and infants. Published guidelines for routine maternal-infant care during the perinatal period, and models for transitions of care in various health care settings are available, but no broad framework has addressed coordinated multidisciplinary care of the maternal-infant dyad during emergency response. We present a novel framework and strategies to improve care coordination and communication during an emergency response. The proposed framework includes (1) identification and collection of critical information to inform care, (2) key health care touchpoints for the maternal-infant dyad, and (3) primary pathways of communication and modes of transfer across touchpoints, as well as practical strategies. This framework and associated strategies can be modified to address the care coordination needs of pregnant women and their infants with possible exposure to other emerging infectious and noninfectious congenital threats that may require long-term, multidisciplinary management. KEY POINTS: · Emerging congential threats present unique coordination challenges for obstetric and pediatric clinicians during emergency response.. · We present a framework to help coodinate care of pregnant women/infants exposed to congenital threats.. · The framework identifies critical information to inform care, health care touchpoints, and communication/information transfer pathways..

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively affected adult mental health (MH), with racial and ethnic minoritized groups disproportionately affected.To examine changes in adult MH-related emergency department (ED) visits into the Delta variant pandemic period and identify changes and inequities in these visits before and during COVID-19 case surges.This epidemiologic cross-sectional study used National Syndromic Surveillance Program data from US adults aged 18 to 64 years from 1970 to 2352 ED facilities from January 1, 2019, to August 14, 2021. All MH-related ED visits and visits related to 10 disorders (ie, anxiety, depressive, bipolar, schizophrenia spectrum, trauma- and stressor-related, attention-deficit/hyperactivity, disruptive behavioral and impulse, obsessive-compulsive, eating, and tic disorders) were identified.The following periods of MH-related ED visits were compared: (1) high Delta variant circulation (July 18-August 14, 2021) with a pre-Delta period (April 18-May 15, 2021), (2) after a COVID-19 case peak (February 14-March 13, 2021) with during a peak (December 27, 2020-January 23, 2021), and (3) the Delta period and the period after a COVID-19 case peak with the respective corresponding weeks during the prepandemic period.ED visits for 10 mental disorders and all MH-related visits.This cross-sectional study included 107 761 319 ED visits among adults aged 18 to 64 years (59 870 475 [56%] women) from January 1, 2019, to August 14, 2021. There was stability in most MH-related ED visit counts between the Delta and pre-Delta periods (percentage change, -1.4% to -7.5%), except for eating disorders (-11.9%) and tic disorders (-19.8%) and after a COVID-19 case peak compared with during a peak (0.6%-7.4%). Most MH-related ED visit counts declined in the Delta period relative to the prepandemic period (-6.4% to -30.7%); there were fluctuations by disorder when comparing after a COVID-19 case peak with the corresponding prepandemic period (-15.4% to 11.3%). Accounting for ED visit volume, MH-related ED visits were a smaller proportion of visits in the Delta period compared with the pre-Delta period (visit ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.85-0.86) and prepandemic period (visit ratio, 0.80; 95% CI, 0.79-0.80). After a COVID-19 case peak, MH-related ED visits were a larger proportion of ED visits compared with during a peak (visit ratio, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.04) and the corresponding prepandemic period (visit ratio, 1.11; 95% CI, 1.11-1.12). Of the 2 510 744 ED visits included in the race and ethnicity analysis, 24 592 (1%) were American Indian or Alaska Native persons, 33 697 (1%) were Asian persons, 494 198 (20%) were Black persons, 389 740 (16%) were Hispanic persons, 5000 (0.2%) were Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander persons, and 1 172 683 (47%) were White persons. There was between- and within-group variation in ED visits by race and ethnicity and increases in selected disorders after COVID-19 peaks for adults aged 18 to 24 years.Results of this cross-sectional study suggest that EDs may have increases in MH-related visits after COVID-19 surges, specifically for young adults and individual racial and ethnic minoritized subpopulations. Public health practitioners should consider subpopulation-specific messaging and programmatic strategies that address differences in MH needs, particularly for those historically marginalized.

In 2021, a national emergency* for children's mental health was declared by several pediatric health organizations, and the U.S. Surgeon General released an advisory

Objectives The majority of US children do not have access to an emergency department (ED) with a pediatric mental health care policy in place. Our objective was to understand factors associated with whether US EDs have a pediatric mental health care policy. Methods We analyzed data from the National Pediatric Readiness Project, a nationally representative cross-sectional survey of US EDs. Nurse managers reported whether their hospitals had a policy to care for children with social/mental health concerns (n = 3612). We calculated prevalence estimates, prevalence ratios (PRs), and confidence intervals (CIs) for regional and ED characteristics (eg, rurality and types of personnel) by whether EDs had a pediatric mental health care policy. Results Overall, 46.2% (n = 1668/3612) of EDs had a pediatric mental health care policy. Emergency departments located in remote areas were 60% less likely to have such a policy compared with EDs in urban areas (PR, 0.4; CI, 0.3-0.5). Emergency department characteristics associated with having a pediatric mental health care policy included having a policy to transfer children with social/mental health concerns (PR, 5.4; CI, 4.7-6.2), having a policy to address maltreatment (PR, 3.4; CI, 2.6-4.4), and having nurse and physician pediatric emergency care coordinators (PR, 1.6; CI, 1.5-1.8). Conclusions Lower prevalence of pediatric mental health policies in rural EDs is concerning considering EDs are often the first point of contact for pediatric patients. This work highlights the importance of pediatric emergency care coordinators in fostering ED capacity to meet children's mental health needs.

CDC recommends a number of mitigation behaviors to prevent the spread of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Those behaviors include 1) covering the nose and mouth with a mask to protect others from possible infection when in public settings and when around persons who live outside of one's household or around ill household members; 2) maintaining at least 6 feet (2 meters) of distance from persons who live outside one's household, and keeping oneself distant from persons who are ill; and 3) washing hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, or, if soap and water are not available, using hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol (1). Age has been positively associated with mask use (2), although less is known about other recommended mitigation behaviors. Monitoring mitigation behaviors over the course of the pandemic can inform targeted communication and behavior modification strategies to slow the spread of COVID-19. The Data Foundation COVID Impact Survey collected nationally representative data on reported mitigation behaviors during April-June 2020 among adults in the United States aged ≥18 years (3). Reported use of face masks increased from 78% in April, to 83% in May, and reached 89% in June; however, other reported mitigation behaviors (e.g., hand washing, social distancing, and avoiding public or crowded places) declined marginally or remained unchanged. At each time point, the prevalence of reported mitigation behaviors was lowest among younger adults (aged 18-29 years) and highest among older adults (aged ≥60 years). Lower engagement in mitigation behaviors among younger adults might be one reason for the increased incidence of confirmed COVID-19 cases in this group, which have been shown to precede increases among those >60 years (4). These findings underscore the need to prioritize clear, targeted messaging and behavior modification interventions, especially for young adults, to encourage uptake and support maintenance of recommended mitigation behaviors to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Approximately 56 million school-aged children (aged 5-17 years) resumed education in the United States in fall 2020.* Analysis of demographic characteristics, underlying conditions, clinical outcomes, and trends in weekly coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) incidence during March 1-September 19, 2020 among 277,285 laboratory-confirmed cases in school-aged children in the United States might inform decisions about in-person learning and the timing and scaling of community mitigation measures. During May-September 2020, average weekly incidence (cases per 100,000 children) among adolescents aged 12-17 years (37.4) was approximately twice that of children aged 5-11 years (19.0). In addition, among school-aged children, COVID-19 indicators peaked during July 2020: weekly percentage of positive SARS-CoV-2 test results increased from 10% on May 31 to 14% on July 5; SARS-CoV-2 test volume increased from 100,081 tests on May 31 to 322,227 on July 12, and COVID-19 incidence increased from 13.8 per 100,000 on May 31 to 37.9 on July 19. During July and August, test volume and incidence decreased then plateaued; incidence decreased further during early September and might be increasing. Percentage of positive test results decreased during August and plateaued during September. Underlying conditions were more common among school-aged children with severe outcomes related to COVID-19: among school-aged children who were hospitalized, admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU), or who died, 16%, 27%, and 28%, respectively, had at least one underlying medical condition. Schools and communities can implement multiple, concurrent mitigation strategies and tailor communications to promote mitigation strategies to prevent COVID-19 spread. These results can provide a baseline for monitoring trends and evaluating mitigation strategies.

Children with Tourette syndrome often have behavioral and social difficulties, which may be associated with co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. This study investigated social competence, including behavioral problems and social skills, and social activities between children with and without Tourette syndrome using a nationally representative sample. In the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health, parents reported on health care provider diagnosis of Tourette syndrome, co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders, and indicators of social competence. Children aged 6-17 years with and without Tourette syndrome were compared. Most (78.7%) children with Tourette syndrome had a co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorder. Children with Tourette syndrome had significantly lower social competence, exhibited by higher levels of behavior problems (mean score 11.6 for Tourette syndrome and 9.0 for no Tourette syndrome) and lower levels of social skills (mean 15.3) than children without a Tourette syndrome diagnosis (mean 17.1); however, these associations were no longer significant after controlling for co-occurring mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. Moderate to severe Tourette syndrome was associated with the highest ratings of behavioral problems and the lowest ratings of social skills. Children with and without Tourette syndrome were equally likely to participate in social activities; the difference for children with moderate to severe Tourette syndrome being less likely to participate in activities compared to children with mild Tourette syndrome had a chi-square test P value of .05. In conclusion, Tourette syndrome was associated with lower social competence, particularly for children with moderate to severe Tourette syndrome. Monitoring social functioning and co-occurring conditions among children with Tourette syndrome, and referral for evidence-based interventions when needed, may benefit overall health and functioning.

Objectives. To understand the role of the community environment on intergenerational continuity in adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among a rural White sample. Methods. Parents in 12 counties in rural Iowa reported retrospectively on their own ACEs in 1989. We measured their child’s ACEs retrospectively and prospectively across adolescence (n = 451 families). We measured structural and social process–related measures of community environment (i.e., community socioeconomic status, parents’ perception of community services, perceived community social cohesion, and neighborhood alcohol vendor density) on multiple occasions during the child’s adolescence. Results. The 4 measures of community environment were all correlated with the child’s ACEs, but only alcohol vendor density predicted ACEs after inclusion of covariates. Intergenerational continuity in ACEs was moderated by both social cohesion (b = −0.11; SE = 0.04) and alcohol vendor density (b = −0.11; SE = 0.05). Conclusions. Efforts to increase community social cohesion and manage alcohol vendor density may assist families in breaking the cycle of maltreatment across generations.

Children spend the majority of their time at school and are particularly vulnerable to the negative emotional and behavioral impacts of disasters, including anxiety, depressive symptoms, impaired social relationships, and poor school performance (1). Because of concerns about inadequate school-based emergency planning to address the unique needs of children and the adults who support them, Healthy People 2020 includes objectives to improve school preparedness, response, and recovery plans (Preparedness [PREP]-5) (2). To examine improvements over time and gaps in school preparedness plans, data from the 2006, 2012, and 2016 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) were analyzed to assess changes in the percentage of districts meeting PREP-5 objectives. Findings from these analyses indicate that districts met the PREP-5 objective for requiring schools to include post-disaster mental health services in their crisis preparedness plans for the first time in 2016. However, trend analyses did not reveal statistically significant increases from 2006 to 2016 in the percentage of districts meeting any of the PREP-5 objectives. Differences in preparedness were detected in analyses stratified by urbanicity and census region, highlighting strengths and challenges in emergency planning for schools. To promote the health and safety of faculty, staff members, children, and families, school districts are encouraged to adopt and implement policies to improve school crisis preparedness, response, and recovery plans.

Objective:Natural disasters are becoming increasingly common, but it is unclear whether families can comprehend and use available resources to prepare for such emergencies. The objective of this study was to evaluate the literacy demands of risk communication materials on natural disasters for US families with children.Methods:In January 2018, we assessed 386 online self-directed learning resources related to emergency preparedness for natural disasters using 5 literacy assessment tools. Assessment scores were compared by information source, audience type, and disaster type.Results:One-in-three websites represented government institutions, and 3/4 were written for a general audience. Nearly 1-in-5 websites did not specify a disaster type. Assessment scores suggest a mismatch between the general population’s literacy levels and literacy demands of materials in the areas of readability, complexity, suitability, web usability, and overall audience appropriateness. Materials required more years of education beyond the grade level recommended by prominent health organizations. Resources for caregivers of children generally and children with special health care needs possessed lower literacy demands than materials overall, for most assessment tools.Conclusions:Risk communication and public health agencies could better align the literacy demands of emergency preparedness materials with the literacy capabilities of the general public.

Scientific writing and publication are essential to advancing knowledge and practice in public health, but prospective authors face substantial challenges. Authors can overcome barriers, such as lack of understanding about scientific writing and the publishing process, with training and resources. The objective of this article is to provide guidance and practical recommendations to help both inexperienced and experienced authors working in public health settings to more efficiently publish the results of their work in the peer-reviewed literature. We include an overview of basic scientific writing principles, a detailed description of the sections of an original research article, and practical recommendations for selecting a journal and responding to peer review comments. The overall approach and strategies presented are intended to contribute to individual career development while also increasing the external validity of published literature and promoting quality public health science.

BACKGROUND. Normalization of medicinal and recreational marijuana use has increased the importance of fully understanding effects of marijuana use on individual- and population-level health, including prenatal exposure effects on child development. We undertook a systematic review of the literature to examine the long-term effects of prenatal marijuana exposure on neuropsychological function in children aged 1–11 years. METHODS. Primary research publications were searched from Medline, Embase, PsychInfo, CINAHL EbscoHost, Cochrane Library, Global Health, and ERIC (1980–2018). Eligible articles documented neuropsychological outcomes in children 1–11 years who had been prenatally exposed to marijuana. Studies of exposure to multiple prenatal drugs were included if results for marijuana exposure were reported separately from other substances. Data abstraction was independently performed by two reviewers using a standardized protocol. RESULTS. The eligible articles (n=21) on data from seven independent longitudinal studies, had high quality based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Some analyses found associations (p

Estimated fatalities due to child maltreatment may underestimate the true extent of fatal child maltreatment. Public health surveillance of child maltreatment fatalities can help identify previously undetected cases and inform research, policy, and prevention efforts. A pilot effort in three states offers potentially useful insights for state-level child welfare leaders considering a similar collaboration. Key findings include the added value of using multiple data sources to identify child maltreatment fatalities, the challenges and benefits of engaging multiple disciplines in the surveillance process, and the feasibility of incorporating a common definition of child maltreatment for surveillance purposes.

Based on a nationally representative sample of 2,017 children age 2–9 years, this study examines variations in ‘‘safe, stable, and nurturing’’ relationships (SSNRs), including several forms of family perpetrated victimization, and documents associations between these factors and child trauma symptoms. Findings show that many children were exposed to multiple forms of victimization within the family (such as physical or sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment, child neglect, sibling victimization, and witnessing family violence), as evidenced by substantial intercorrelations among the different forms of victimization. Moreover, victimization exposure was significantly associated with several indices of parental dysfunction, family adversity, residential instability, and problematic parenting practices. Of all SSNR variables considered, emotional abuse and inconsistent or hostile parenting emerged as having the most powerful independent effects on child trauma symptoms. Also, findings supported a cumulative risk model, whereby trauma symptom levels increased with each additional SSNR risk factor to which children were exposed. Implications for research and practice are discussed.

In this article we review the empirical evidence for the presumptions that children with disabilities are at increased risk for child maltreatment, and parents with disabilities are more likely to perpetrate child abuse and neglect. Challenges to the epidemiological examination of the prevalence of child maltreatment and disabilities are discussed. We conclude that the evidence for the relationship between child maltreatment victimization of children with disabilities and perpetration by caregivers with disabilities remains equivocal due to variability in research samples, key definitions, and study methodology. Future research examining the link between disability and child maltreatment would benefit from more rigorous methodology and inclusion of a theoretical framework, such as the ecological model of child maltreatment. One potential pathway from disability to child maltreatment is presented. Knowing and understanding the link between disability and child abuse and neglect is an important step toward ...

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Application of epidemiologic surveillance to child abuse and neglect (CAN) presents specific challenges related to varying definitions and incident reporting. Definitions of abuse and neglect differ within and across countries, obscuring estimates of the true magnitude of the problem. Definitions also vary depending on the nature of the child protection system. Countries may lack legal or social systems with specific responsibility for responding to and recording reports of CAN, particularly countries where populations are remote or in flux (e.g. due to conflict). Underreporting of CAN results in underestimates of prevalence. Violence by caregivers toward children is often known only to the perpetrator, and depending on the developmental capacity of the child, the victim. Further, CAN cases may be reported to a wide variety of sentinels (e.g. educators, clergy, physicians, law enforcement, child welfare), or may not be reported to any official source at all. Social stigma and unintended consequences of reporting, as well as cultural and political barriers, also impact reporting both within communities and globally. Language: fr

CONTEXT Reducing the number of largely preventable and tragic deaths due to child maltreatment (CM) requires an understanding of the magnitude of and risk factors for fatal CM and targeted research, policy, and prevention efforts. Public health surveillance offers an opportunity to improve our understanding of the problem of CM. In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded state public health agencies in California, Michigan, and Oregon to implement a model approach for routine and sustainable CM surveillance and evaluated the experience of those efforts. OBJECTIVE We describe the experiences of 3 state health agencies in building collaborations and partnerships with multiple stakeholders for CM surveillance. DESIGN Qualitative, structured key informant interviews were carried out during site visits as part of an evaluation of a CDC-funded project to implement a model approach to CM surveillance. PARTICIPANTS Key informants included system stakeholders from state health agencies, law enforcement, child protective services, the medical community, and child welfare advocacy groups in the 3 funded states. RESULTS Factors that facilitated stakeholder engagement for CM surveillance included the following: streamlining and coordinating the work of Child Death Review Teams (CDRTs); demonstrating the value of surveillance to non-public health partners; codifying relationships with participating agencies; and securing the commitment of decision-makers. Legislative mandates were helpful in bringing key stakeholders together, but it was not sufficient to ensure sustained engagement. CONCLUSIONS The engagement process yielded multiple benefits for the stakeholders including a deeper appreciation of the complexity of defining CM; a greater understanding of risk factors for CM; and enhanced guidance for prevention and control efforts. States considering or currently undertaking CM surveillance can glean useful insights from the experiences of these 3 states and apply them to their own efforts to engage stakeholders.

This article provides an overview of mental and physical health outcomes of child maltreatment to help health care providers identify the consequences of maltreatment and consider treatment options. Child maltreatment is associated with a variety of negative physical and mental health outcomes that affect the individual throughout the lifespan and place a substantial burden on both victims and the population as a whole. The review begins with an overview of the role of physicians in identifying abuse and neglect in the clinic setting. Next, current research findings on physical and mental health outcomes in children, adolescents, and adults are reviewed. Finally, opportunities for primary prevention of abuse and neglect are discussed. Primary prevention strategies can avoid risk for maltreatment, and subsequent interventions for victims have the potential to greatly improve their health.

Child maltreatment (CM) and intimate partner violence (IPV) take a tremendous toll on communities around the world. Despite the impact of CM and IPV, data on their incidence are drawn from disparate sources of varying quality. To improve data resources in these areas, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention funded state-based IPV and CM surveillance activities in nine states between 1994 and 2005. This article describes reported outcomes of these surveillance programmes; assesses factors affecting their sustainability; and provides recommendations for similar programmes through document review and interviews with state representatives. Findings indicate that states achieved outcomes with these surveillance initiatives; however, states noted concerns with sustaining systems because of a lack of resources and ineffective collaborations. Highlighted in this article are several lessons that other countries can learn from the experiences of these states in testing CM and IPV surveillance systems. Language: en

Objective To describe the distribution of child maltreatment fatalities of children under 5 by age, sex, race/ethnicity, type of maltreatment, and relationship to alleged perpetrator using data from the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS). Study design Two independent coders reviewed information from death certificates, medical examiner and police reports corresponding to all deaths in children less than 5 years of age reported to NVDRS in 16 states. Results Of the 1,374 deaths for children under 5 reported to NVDRS, 600 were considered attributable to child maltreatment. Over a half of the 600 victims of child maltreatment in this age group were under 1 year old, 59% were male, 42% non-Hispanic Whites, and 38% were non-Hispanic Blacks. Two thirds of child maltreatment fatalities in children under 5 were classified as being due to abusive head trauma (AHT), 27.5% as other types of physical abuse, and 10% as neglect. Based on these data, fathers or their substitutes were significantly more likely than mothers to be identified as alleged perpetrators for AHT and other types of physical abuse, while mothers were more likely to be assigned responsibility for neglect. Conclusions Among children under 5 years, children under 1 are the main age group contributing to child maltreatment fatalities in the NVDRS. AHT is the main cause of death in these data. These findings are limited by underascertainment of cases and fair inter-rater reliability of coding. Practice implications The findings suggest the need to develop and evaluate interventions targeting AHT to reduce the overall number of child maltreatment deaths in young children. These interventions should make special efforts to include fathers and their substitutes.

Objective: Child maltreatment (CM) is prevalent among U.S. youth and has been associated with subsequent maladaptive behaviors, including substance use. The current study examines the associations between early child maltreatment and (1) preteen alcohol-use initiation and (2) heavy episodic drinking among students in a large study of adolescents. Method: The Youth Violence Survey is a cross-sectional survey of public school students enrolled in Grades 7,9, 11, and 12 in a school district in a high-risk community. The analysis sample was limited to students who provided complete data on all relevant variables (N= 3,559). Fifty-two percent of the analysis sample was female. Early child maltreatment was defined as witnessing domestic violence and experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse before the age of 10 years. Outcome variables include ever drinking alcohol, preteen alcohol-use initiation, and heavy episodic drinking. Results: Witnessing domestic violence, experiencing physical abuse, and experiencing sexual abuse were significantly associated with preteen alcohol-use initiation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.26-1.91; AOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.69-2.63; AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.16-2.14, respectively). Students who experienced one or more types of maltreatment were 1.5-3 times more likely to report preteen alcohol-use initiation. Heavy episodic drinking was associated only with childhood sexual abuse in boys (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.52-4.50). Conclusions: Prevention and treatment of the negative impact of early child maltreatment may delay and reduce alcohol use. Language: en

A number of cross-sectional and a few longitudinal studies have shown a developmental relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. Published findings also suggest that social support can lessen the risk of adverse outcomes for some abused children. However, few studies have investigated whether social support mediates or moderates the relationship between child abuse and adult physical and mental health. Structural equation modeling was used to examine data on these topics from a longitudinal study of more than 30 years. While a latent construct of physical and emotional child abuse did not predict adult health outcomes directly, child abuse did predict outcomes indirectly through social support. A test of variable moderation for child abuse and social support was nonsignificant. Results suggest that social support may help explain the association between child abuse and health outcomes at midlife. Implications of the findings for prevention and treatment are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

This study examines the role of maltreatment in weapon carrying among 12-year-old youth (N = 797) interviewed as part of the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN), an ongoing study of the antecedents and consequences of child maltreatment. Participants reported their physical and sexual abuse history and provided responses to items assessing perceived need for a weapon and weapon carrying. There were no gender differences in rates of self-reported physical or sexual abuse. Males were more likely than females to report weapon carrying and perceived need for a weapon. A mediation analysis was conducted to examine the mediating effect of perceived need for a weapon on the association between abuse and weapon carrying. Results indicated that perceived need for a weapon fully mediated the effect of physical abuse and partially mediated the effect of sexual abuse. Results are discussed in the context of self-protection theory.

Purpose To examine the link and explore a potential association between physical and sexual abuse and weapon carrying in a sample of youth. Weapon carrying has been linked to the perpetration of serious violence in youth. Ample evidence associates child maltreatment with the perpetration of delinquent and violent behavior, but there is little research on the relationship between child maltreatment and weapon carrying. Methods We analyzed cross-sectional data collected from students in a large survey of high-risk youth (n = 3487). Propensity score stratification was used to approximate a randomized experimental design to examine the effect of physical and sexual abuse on youth-reported weapon and firearm carrying. Results Approximately 25% of weapon carrying by girls was attributable to sexual abuse in early childhood. We found no relationship between sexual abuse and weapon carrying for boys. The association between physical abuse and weapon carrying was less robust and no gender difference was detected. Conclusions Results indicate that exposure to certain forms of early childhood maltreatment may increase the probability of weapon carrying in adolescence, particularly for females. Sexual abuse prevention and intervention programs should incorporate personal safety alternatives to weapon carrying, and clinicians should be aware that sexually abused girls are at greater risk for weapon carrying than other maltreated youth.

Most children and adolescents older than five years spend at least six hours of their day in school settings. Like parents, education professionals can promote health and protect youth from harm by providing safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed a framework which posits that safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments are Essentials for Childhood and are fundamental to promoting health and well-being; protecting youth from maltreatment and other violence and victimization; and ensuring optimal, healthy development. In this paper, the authors propose an approach to applying safe, stable, nurturing relationships and environments to the school ecology; review select survey measures to examine these constructs within educational settings; and suggest available indicators to measure safety, stability, and nurturance within the school context.

The Journal of Safety Research has partnered with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia, USA, to briefly report on some of the latest findings in the research community. This report is the fourth edition in a series of CDC articles. Background An active injury and illness surveillance system was established by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) along with the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals (LDHH) in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in functioning hospitals and medical clinics. Results The surveillance system recorded 7,543 nonfatal injuries among residents and relief workers between September 8-October 14, 2005. The leading mechanisms of injury identified in both groups were fall and cut/stab/pierce, with a greater proportion of residents compared to relief workers injured during the repopulation period. Clean-up was the most common activity at the time of injury for both groups. Conclusion Injuries documented through this system underscore the need for surveillance of exposed populations to determine the injury burden and initiate injury prevention activities and health communication campaigns.

Objective: The primary aim of the study was to identify a classification scheme, for determining the predominant type of maltreatment in a child's history that best predicts differences in developmental outcomes. Method: Three different predominant type classification schemes were examined in a sample of 519 children with a history of alleged maltreatment. Cases were classified into predominant maltreatment types according to three different schemes: 1. Hierarchical Type (HT)—based on a hierarchy of types that prioritizes active forms of abuse over passive abuse; 2. Severity/Frequency Type (SFT)—sorts cases into the type of maltreatment associated with the highest severity or frequency rating; 3. Expanded Hierarchical Type (EHT)—differentiates multiple maltreatment type combinations from “pure” or single sub-types. Hierarchical regression analyses examined whether the HT, SFT, and EHT type classifications contributed to prediction of child behavior problems, trauma symptoms and adaptive functioning. Results: After controlling for demographic factors, the HT definitions predicted four outcomes, while the SFT definitions predicted three, and the EHT classifications contributed to the prediction of five child outcomes. The co-occurrence of multiple types of maltreatment was robustly related to outcomes. However, the HT and SFT classifications predicted outcomes even after accounting for the co-occurrence of multiple maltreatment subtypes. Conclusion: A classification scheme that differentiates between type combinations and single maltreatment types may have the greatest predictive validity. Over and above knowing about co-occurrence of maltreatment sub-types, it is important to understand what type, or constellation of types, of maltreatment have been alleged in a child's history.

The purpose of this study was to examine the origins of gender differences in mutual gaze between infants and unfamiliar adults, using a prospective longitudinal design. Infant gaze behavior was measured twice: 13–112-hr and 13–18-weeks postpartum. Gender differences were found at Visit 2 due to an increase in girls' gaze behavior. Girls also made more eye contact in female–female dyads and in the second interaction over the first. Boys' behavior remained unchanged over time. The data provide evidence for gender differences in mutual gaze in a younger sample and wider context than previously demonstrated. Results are discussed in the context of social learning (i.e., Martin & Fabes, 2001, theory of “singular polarization”) and psychobiological theories of gender development.

Approximately 16 million US children currently live in poverty [1]. Children living in poverty experience significant disparities on indicators of physical and mental health and academic success [2–6]. The importance of positive early experiences and the benefits of early intervention to mitigate the life-long effects of poverty have been confirmed in biologic [7], economic [8, 9], and social models [10]. Unfortunately, early childhood interventions have historically been limited in producing impacts when taken to scale. This has been attributed in part to a lack of quality assurance when moving from research to practice [11] and poor attention to scalability and dissemination when developing programs [12].

The giftedness and career-choice literatures have traditionally spoken in different terms about the same phenomenon, multipotentiality. Multipotentialed individuals have numerous and diverse abilities and interests. Appropriate interventions are necessary to help them cope successfully with the abundance of career choices available to them. This review links the giftedness and career-choice literatures through a discussion of the concept of multipotentiality and explores ensuing practical implications and challenges to the overall idea.

PurposeTo examine evidence of the continuity in abusive discipline across two generations (G1 and G2) and the role of safe, stable, and nurturing relationships (SSNRs) as protective factors.MethodsData are from the Lehigh Longitudinal Study, a prospective investigation of the causes and consequences child maltreatment that began in the 1970s with a sample of 457 children and their parents. Data were most recently collected in 2008–2010 from 80% of the original child sample (N = 357) when they were adults age 36 years on average. Of those assessed as adults, 268 participants (G2s) were parenting children and thus comprise the analysis sample. Analyses examined the association between harsh physical discipline practices by G1 parents and G2's reports of similarly severe discipline practices used in parenting their own children. Analyses also investigated the direct and interactive (protective) effects of SSNR variables that pertain to the care, warmth, and support children received from their mothers, fathers, and siblings over their lifetimes. A measure of an adult partner's warmth and support was also included. A case-level examination of G2 harsh discipliners was included to investigate other forms of past and more recent forms of abuse exposure.ResultsResults show a significant predictive association between physical discipline by G1 and G2 parents (β = .30; p < .05; odds ratio, 1.14; confidence interval, 1.04–1.26), after accounting for childhood socioeconomic status and gender. Whereas being harshly disciplined as a child was inversely related to reports of having had a caring relationship with one's mother (r = −.25; p

Objective. Research has shown that physical abuse during childhood (early PA) is associated with various mental and behavioral problems in adolescence. However, there is little research on the differences in these associations by gender among youths residing in high-risk communities. This study investigated gender differences in the relationship between early PA and various internalizing (e.g., thoughts of suicide or victimization) and externalizing (e.g., perpetration of violence) behaviors. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted using survey data (collected in 2004) provided by 1,484 seventh-grade youths residing in a high-risk community (83% participated). Students were considered victims of early PA if they reported experiencing abuse prior to age 10 years. Prevalence ratios (PRs) were calculated to estimate the association between early PA and various outcomes (e.g., suicidality, victimization, violence, and illegal drug use), adjusting for race/ethnicity and other forms of abuse. Poisson regression with robust variance estimates was used to estimate the PRs and test for early PA-gender interaction. Results. Early PA was positively associated with suicidality, illegal drug use, and victimization with no significant differences by gender. The association between early PA and criminal behavior was significantly higher for females; the association between early PA and peer violence perpetration was significantly higher for males (interaction term PA*gender was significant at the p≤0.005 level). Conclusions. Young high-risk adolescents who experienced early PA may need counseling or other services (e.g., home visitation) to help prevent suicidality, victimization, violence perpetration, criminal behavior, and illegal drug use. Furthermore, male victims may need more attention in the area of violence prevention; female victims may need particular attention with regard to preventing criminal behavior.

Objectives. We examined the concordance between measures of self-reported maltreatment and court records of abuse or neglect in a sample of detained youths. Methods. Data were collected by the Northwestern Juvenile Project and include interviews from 1829 youths aged 10–18 years. Participants were newly detained youths in the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center in Illinois between 1995 and 1998. Self-reported cases of child maltreatment were compared with court records of abuse or neglect in the Cook County judicial system. Results. We found that among detained youths, 16.6% of those who reported any maltreatment, 22.2% of those who reported the highest level of maltreatment, and 25.1% of those who reported that they required medical treatment as a result of maltreatment had a court record of abuse or neglect. Among those with any self-reported maltreatment, girls (vs boys) and African Americans (vs Whites) were more likely to have a court record (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=2.18; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.53, 3.09; and AOR=2.12; 95% CI=1.23, 3.63, respectively). Conclusions. Official records seriously underestimate the prevalence of maltreatment, which indicates that multiple data sources are needed to document the true prevalence of maltreatment.

Objective: The National Research Council identified inadequate research definitions for abuse and neglect as barriers to research in child maltreatment. We examine the concordance between child protective services (CPS) classifications of maltreatment type with the determinations of type from two research coding systems. We contrast the two coding systems and the CPS classification, in their ability to predict subsequent difficulties in the psychological functioning of maltreated children at age 8. Method: The sample included 545 children who were enrolled in Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) with a report of child maltreatment, had data collected at approximately 4 and 8 years of age, and had a lifetime review of CPS records to age 8. CPS Maltreatment reports were coded using LONGSCAN's modification of the Maltreatment Classification System (MMCS) and the Second National Incidence Study maltreatment coding system (NIS-2). The first analyses used reports as the unit of analysis to examine agreement between CPS and research determinations of allegation type. Validation analyses examined outcomes for each type of maltreatment experienced after age 4 under each coding system using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Trauma Symptom Checklist-Alternative form, and the Vineland Screener as the measures of outcome. Control variables were the CBCL and Battelle Developmental Screener, measured at age 4. Results: There were a total of 1980 reports of maltreatment for 545 study children although only 1593 CPS reports specified at least one type of maltreatment. There were differences between the type of maltreatment recorded in child protective service records and the conclusions reached by either research classification system. CPS classifications were most discordant with the research systems for emotional abuse and neglect. Nearly 10% of physical and sexual abuse reports, as determined by the MMCS, were classified as neglect by the child protective service agencies. The NIS-2 system and the MMCS had very high Kappa statistics for agreement for physical and sexual abuse. The validity of the research definitions for physical and sexual abuse was demonstrated in models predicting children's functioning at age 8. Prediction of child functioning was significantly but modestly improved in several domains compared to the CPS classifications. Conclusion: Both research classification systems moderately improved on the prediction of the adverse effects of maltreatment compared to the characterization of a maltreatment exposure as recorded by CPS.