Infant crying and abuse

article




Reijneveld, S.A.

Wal, M.F.V.D.

Brugman, E.

Sing, R.A.H.

Verloove-Vanhorick, S.P.
Child abuse and neglect are important causes of child morbidity and death. We assessed potentially detrimental parental actions induced by infant crying in 3259 infants aged 1-6 months, in the Netherlands. In infants aged 6 months, 5·6% (95% CI 4·2-7·0) of parents reported having smothered, slapped, or shaken their baby at least once because of its crying. The risks of detrimental actions were highest for parents from non-industrialised countries, those with either no job or a job with short working hours, and those who judged their infant's crying to be excessive. Clinicians should be aware of the risks of abuse in children known to cry a lot and should target interventions at parents to help them cope with this crying.
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Child deathChild neglectCoping behaviorDeveloping countryInfant welfareMorbidityParental behaviorPhysicianPovertyRisk assessmentChild AbuseCryingFemaleHumansInfantInfant BehaviorInfant, NewbornMaleNetherlandsParentsPrevalenceQuestionnairesSocioeconomic Factors
TNO Identifier
238051
Repository link
https://resolver.tno.nl/uuid:455826f3-11e5-4967-a5fa-fd2832b84e58
ISSN
01406736
Source
Lancet, 364(9442), pp. 1340-1342.
Pages
1340-1342
Files
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