Citation

Lanier P, Jonson-Reid M, Stahlschmidt MJ, Drake B, Constantino J. J. Pediatr. Psychol. 2010; 35(5): 511-522.

Affiliation

George Warren Brown School of Social Work and Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Washington University.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2010, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/jpepsy/jsp086

PMID

19797405

PMCID

PMC2910939

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To examine if maltreatment predicted increased risk of hospital-based treatment prior to age 18 years for asthma, cardio-respiratory, and non-sexually transmitted infectious disease in a sample of low-income children. METHODS: This study used administrative data from multiple systems to follow children for 12-18 years (N = 6,282). Cox regression was used to explore the risk of first hospital treatment by disease category. Negative binomial regression was used to explore the relationship between recurrent maltreatment and total hospital care episodes. RESULTS: Controlling for individual, family, and community factors, children with maltreatment reports had a 74-100% higher risk of hospital treatment. Recurrent reports predicted a higher count of hospital care episodes. CONCLUSIONS: The negative health impact of maltreatment prior to adulthood supports the need for early prevention and intervention to prevent initial and recurrent child abuse and improve capacity to meet healthcare needs of maltreated children.

Language: en