@2024 Afarand., IRAN
ISSN: 1027-1457 Scientific Journal of Forensic Medicine 2020;26(1):45-51
ISSN: 1027-1457 Scientific Journal of Forensic Medicine 2020;26(1):45-51
Pattern of Physical Injuries in Child Abuse Cases Referred to the Forensic Centers of Mazandaran Province in 2015 and 2016
ARTICLE INFO
Article Type
Descriptive & Survey StudyAuthors
Abbasi A. (1)Azimi Kh. (*2)
Poorbakhtiar M. (3)
Azimi R. (4)
(*2) Nursing & Midwifery Care Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(1) Legal Medicine Research Center, Iranian Legal Medicine Organization, Tehran, Iran
(3) Midwifery Department, Faculty of Nursing & Midwifery, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
(4) Psychology Department, School of Psychology & Educational Sciences, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran
Correspondence
Address: Mazandaran Legal Medicine Office, End of Besat Street, Azadi Boulevard, Sari, Mazandaran, Iran. Postal code: 4814856874Phone: +98 (11) 33398630
Fax: +98 (11) 33398630
khadijehazimi88@gmail.com
Article History
Received: April 6, 2020Accepted: April 16, 2020
ePublished: April 18, 2020
ABSTRACT
Aims
Due to the importance of child abuse and its physical and psychological consequences, this study was conducted to investigate child abuse cases referred to forensic medicine centers in Mazandaran province and the challenges of recording child abuse cases in forensic medicine files.
Instrument & Methods This present cross-sectional descriptive retrospective study was carried out on all of the referred cases of child abuse to the forensics centers of Mazandaran province in 2015 and 2016. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire included age and gender, the referring center, companion, harasser and the time of the assault, type of injury, time of occurrence, reason for the occurrence and the injured organ with a reliability coefficient of 98%.
Findings The mean age of the children was almost 8 years old and the number of girls and boys was almost equal. Most of the injuries were made during the past 2 to 5 days and caused by getting hit with a hard object. The most injuries were respectively bruises, scratches and burns. The most involved organs were respectively the upper limbs, face, the lower limbs, the trunk, and the head and neck. Most of the bruises and swells were on the face, head, and neck, most of the scratches and burns were on the upper limbs and most of the pain was in the trunk.
Conclusion The observed physical injuries were mostly consistent with the proven patterns of child abuse. Considering the flaws in recording the information, it is necessary to develop and apply standard forms using international protocols.
Instrument & Methods This present cross-sectional descriptive retrospective study was carried out on all of the referred cases of child abuse to the forensics centers of Mazandaran province in 2015 and 2016. Data were gathered using a researcher-made questionnaire included age and gender, the referring center, companion, harasser and the time of the assault, type of injury, time of occurrence, reason for the occurrence and the injured organ with a reliability coefficient of 98%.
Findings The mean age of the children was almost 8 years old and the number of girls and boys was almost equal. Most of the injuries were made during the past 2 to 5 days and caused by getting hit with a hard object. The most injuries were respectively bruises, scratches and burns. The most involved organs were respectively the upper limbs, face, the lower limbs, the trunk, and the head and neck. Most of the bruises and swells were on the face, head, and neck, most of the scratches and burns were on the upper limbs and most of the pain was in the trunk.
Conclusion The observed physical injuries were mostly consistent with the proven patterns of child abuse. Considering the flaws in recording the information, it is necessary to develop and apply standard forms using international protocols.
CITATION LINKS
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[23]Lamb ME, Orbach Y, Hershkowitz I, Esplin PW, Horowitz D. A structured forensic interview protocol improves the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol. Child abuse Negl. 2007;31(11-12):1201-31.
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[26]Sadeghi-Bazargani H, Mohammadi R. Epidemiology of burns in Iran during the last decade (2000–2010): review of literature and methodological considerations. Burns. 2012;38(3):319-29.
[27]Lynch VA, Duval JB. Forensic Nursing Science-E-Book. 2nd Edition. St. Louis: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2010.
[28]Morris M, Rivaux S, Faulkner M. Provider ambivalence about using forensic medical evaluation to respond to child abuse: A content and discourse analysis. Child Abuse Negl. 2017;65:140-51.
[29]Cyr M, Lamb ME. Assessing the effectiveness of the NICHD investigative interview protocol when interviewing French-speaking alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Quebec. Child Abuse Negl. 2009;33(5):257-68.
[2]Hovens JG, Wiersma JE, Giltay EJ, Van Oppen P, Spinhoven P, Penninx BW, et al. Childhood life events and childhood trauma in adult patients with depressive, anxiety and comorbid disorders vs. controls. Acta Psychiatr Scand. 2010;122(1):66-74.
[3]Finkelhor D, Shattuck A, Turner HA, Hamby SL. The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse and sexual assault assessed in late adolescence. J Adolesc Health. 2014;55(3):329-33.
[4]Stoltenborgh M, Bakermans‐Kranenburg MJ, Alink LR, van Ijzendoorn MH. The prevalence of child maltreatment across the globe: Review of a series of meta‐analyses. Child Abuse Rev. 2015;24(1):37-50.
[5]Anda RF, Butchart A, Felitti VJ, Brown DW. Building a framework for global surveillance of the public health implications of adverse childhood experiences. Am J Prev Med. 2010;39(1):93-8.
[6]Norman RE, Byambaa M, De R, Butchart A, Scott J, Vos T. The long-term health consequences of child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS Med. 2012;9(11):e1001349.
[7]World Health Organization. Child maltreatment (child abuse) [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2018 [cited 2020 May 18]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/child-maltreatment.
[8]Alsehaimi A, Barron I, Hodson A. Physical child abuse by parents and teachers in Saudi Arabia: a systematic literature review. J Child Adolesc Trauma. 2019;12(1):107-17.
[9]Mohammadi MR, Zarafshan H, Khaleghi A. child abuse in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Psychiatry. 2014;9(3):118-24.
[10]Darnell C. Forensic science in healthcare: caring for patients, preserving the evidence. Boca Raton: CRC Press; 2011.
[11]Hong S, Rhee TG, Piescher KN. Longitudinal association of child maltreatment and cognitive functioning: Implications for child development. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;84:64-73.
[12]Forozesh M, Shabani M, Vosogh M. A case report about one child abuse resulted to growth disorder. Iran J Forensic Med. 2010;16(1):47-51. [Persian]
[13]Khosravani F, Malekpour M, Abedi A, Hariri M. The comparison of child abuse styles between addicted and normal individuals. Soc Welfare Q. 2013;13(48):229-45. [Persian]
[14]Tahmasbyan H, Jafari J, Roshanai B, Chaghazardi S, Hosseini A, Amjadian N. The relationship between child abuser parent and personality characteristics with criminal behavior among prisoners in Kermanshah. Iran J Forensic Med. 2012;18(1):17-24. [Persian]
[15]Chiang L, Howard A, Gleckel J, Ogoti C, Karlsson J, Hynes M, et al. Cycle of violence among young Kenyan women: the link between childhood violence and adult physical intimate partner violence in a population-based survey. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;84:45-52.
[16]Currie J, Spatz Widom C. Long-term consequences of child abuse and neglect on adult economic well-being. Child Maltreat. 2010;15(2):111-20.
[17]Fang X, Brown DS, Florence CS, Mercy JA. The economic burden of child maltreatment in the United States and implications for prevention. Child abuse & neglect. 2012;36(2):156-65.
[18]Spilsbury JC, Gross-Manos D, Haas BM, Bowdrie K, Richter F, Korbin JE, et al. Change and consistency in descriptions of child maltreatment: a comparison of caregivers’ perspectives 20 years apart. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;82:72-82.
[19]Leeb RT, Paulozzi LJ, Melanson C, Simon TR, Arias I. Child maltreatment surveillance; uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements. Atlanta: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Injury Prevention and Control; 2008.
[20]Byouki MA. An international and national evaluation on child abuse in Iran and Germany [Dissertation]. Freiburg im Breisgau: University of Freiburg; 2015.
[21]Hodgdon HB, Spinazzola J, Briggs EC, Liang L-J, Steinberg AM, Layne CM. Maltreatment type, exposure characteristics, and mental health outcomes among clinic referred trauma-exposed youth. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;82:12-22.
[22]Mian M, Schryer CF, Spafford MM, Joosten J, Lingard L. Current practice in physical child abuse forensic reports: a preliminary exploration. Child Abuse Negl. 2009;33(10):679-83.
[23]Lamb ME, Orbach Y, Hershkowitz I, Esplin PW, Horowitz D. A structured forensic interview protocol improves the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol. Child abuse Negl. 2007;31(11-12):1201-31.
[24]Flaherty EG, Sege RD, Griffith J, Price LL, Wasserman R, Slora E, et al. From suspicion of physical child abuse to reporting: primary care clinician decision-making. Pediatrics. 2008;122(3):611-9.
[25]Jones R, Flaherty EG, Binns HJ, Price LL, Slora E, abney d, et al. clinicians’ description of factors influencing their reporting of suspected child abuse: report of the child abuse reporting experience study research group. Pediatrics. 2008;122(2):259-66.
[26]Sadeghi-Bazargani H, Mohammadi R. Epidemiology of burns in Iran during the last decade (2000–2010): review of literature and methodological considerations. Burns. 2012;38(3):319-29.
[27]Lynch VA, Duval JB. Forensic Nursing Science-E-Book. 2nd Edition. St. Louis: Elsevier Health Sciences; 2010.
[28]Morris M, Rivaux S, Faulkner M. Provider ambivalence about using forensic medical evaluation to respond to child abuse: A content and discourse analysis. Child Abuse Negl. 2017;65:140-51.
[29]Cyr M, Lamb ME. Assessing the effectiveness of the NICHD investigative interview protocol when interviewing French-speaking alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Quebec. Child Abuse Negl. 2009;33(5):257-68.