COVID-19 Stay at Home Orders Brought Uptick in Child Abuse – Increase in Physical Abuse Injuries

Research to be presented at the American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition 2021 finds that staying at home and pandemic stress during the COVID outbreak have led to an increase in non-accidental childhood injuries resulting from child abuse

The stresses of the COVID-19 pandemic, including financial pressures and physical distancing, presented families with challenges that may have led to an increase in physical injuries among school-age children, according to new research.

In the summary of the study, “Impact of ‘Stay-at-Home’ Orders on Non-Accidental Trauma: A Multi-Institutional Study,” to be presented at the virtual American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition, trauma registry data for March compared. September 2020 of nine pediatric trauma centers, against the same period in 2016-2019. Researchers found an increase in the number of child abuse victims over the age of 5 in 2020.

“The findings of our study may reflect the difference in how schools and nurseries are viewed. In many areas, nurseries were considered essential businesses and remained open during closure. It is possible that this is why we have not seen a major change in the rate of suspected abuse in the younger age group. With older children out of school and many parents who are financially vulnerable during this time, family dynamics can have escalated to often unsustainable situations,” said Amelia Collings, MD, the abstract author and researcher from the Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium (MWPSC) “We need to be able to support these families and protect ourselves from feelings of despair.”

Researchers analyzed data from 39,331 pediatric trauma patients, 2,064 of whom were victims of suspected abuse. Among children 5 years and older, the number of child abuse victims tripled during the study period to 103 patients, compared to an average of 36 patients in a comparable period before the pandemic. For school-age children, the increase in potential abuse-related injuries may be due to the lack of normal safeguards provided by the education system, teachers and social workers who have direct access to the child in school, potentially putting a vulnerable population at risk.

“Economic and emotional stress, in addition to the absence of other adults in the child’s life who would typically recognize and report abuse, may have contributed to an increase in child abuse during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Dr. collings. “While school-age children were cared for at home, teachers, health professionals, coaches and other adults outside the family were not around to notice any signs of physical abuse.”

dr. Collings will present the study summary on Saturday, October 9, 2021 at 9:15 a.m. CT.

This study was supported and conducted by the Midwest Pediatric Surgery Consortium, a collaboration of surgeon researchers from 11 pediatric hospitals dedicated to improving the care of pediatric patients.