Details:

Alternative Title:
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
Personal Author:
Swedo, Elizabeth ; Idaikkadar, Nimi ; Leemis, Ruth ; Dias, Taylor ; Radhakrishnan, Lakshmi ; ... More +
Swedo, Elizabeth ; Idaikkadar, Nimi ; Leemis, Ruth ; Dias, Taylor ; Radhakrishnan, Lakshmi ; Stein, Zachary ; Chen, May ; Agathis, Nickolas ; Holland, Kristin Less -
Description:
Heightened stress, school closures, loss of income, and social isolation resulting from the coronaVirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have increased the risk for child abuse and neglect (1). Using National Syndromic Surveillance Program (U.S.) (NSSP) data from January 6, 2019-September 6, 2020, CDC tabulated weekly numbers of emergency department (ED) visits related to child abuse and neglect and calculated the proportions of such visits per 100,000 ED visits, as well as the percentage of suspected or confirmed ED visits related to child abuse and neglect ending in hospitalization, overall and stratified by age group (0-4, 5-11, and 12-17 years). The total number of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect began decreasing below the corresponding 2019 period during week 11 (March 15-March 22, 2020) for all age groups examined, coinciding with the declaration of a national emergency on March 13 (2); simultaneously, the proportion of these visits per 100,000 ED visits began increasing above the 2019 baseline for all age groups. Despite decreases in the weekly number of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect, the weekly number of these visits resulting in hospitalization remained stable in 2020; however, the yearly percentage of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect resulting in hospitalization increased significantly among all age groups. Although the increased proportion of ED visits related to child abuse and neglect might be associated with a decrease in the overall number of ED visits, these findings also suggest that health care-seeking patterns have shifted during the pandemic. Hospitalizations for child abuse and neglect did not decrease in 2020, suggTesting that injury severity did not decrease during the pandemic, despite decreased ED visits. Child abuse is preventable; implementation of strategies including strengthening household economic supports and creating family-friendly work policies can reduce stress during difficult times and increase children's opportunities to thrive in safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments (3).
Subjects:
[+]
Adolescent Child Child Abuse CoronaVirus Infections COVID-19 Emergency Service, Hospital Full Report Humans Pandemics
Source:
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 69(49):1841-1847
Pubmed ID:
33301436
Pubmed Central ID:
PMC7737689
Document Type:
Journal Article
Place as Subject:
United States
Collection(s):
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)
Main Document Checksum:
[+]
urn:sha256:c15d4988ebedbf785bc05a9897f801542bca20fc3232cdd083feeb1348ce47ac
Download URL:
https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/99498/cdc_99498_DS1.pdf
File Type:

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