Citation

Elklit A, Murphy S, Skovgaard C, Lausten M. Eur. J. Psychotraumatol. 2023; 14(1): e2173764.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, The Author(s), Publisher Co-action Publishing)

DOI

10.1080/20008066.2023.2173764

PMID

37052095

PMCID

PMC9946304

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Children with disabilities are at heightened risk of violence compared to their non-disabled peers. However, extant research suffers from several limitations, focusing on child abuse and one or few types of disability, ignoring conventional violent crimes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess 10 disabilities and to examine whether different disabilities vary in their risk of criminal victimization.

METHOD: Using the Danish Psychiatric Case Register, the Criminal Register, and other population-based registers, we included nine birth cohorts (n = 570,351) and followed them until 18 years of age. We compared children exposed to violence with non-exposed children. We estimated odds ratios (ORs) for the disabilities and adjusted the ORs for several risk factors.

RESULTS: We identified 12,830 cases of reported violence (2.25% of the population) towards children and adolescents. Children with disabilities were overrepresented, as were boys and ethnic minorities. After controlling for risk factors, four disabilities had heightened risk for criminal violence: attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), brain injury, speech, and physical disabilities. When we compared risk factors controlling for the various disabilities, parental history of violence, family break-up, out-of-home placement, and parental unemployment contributed especially to the violence, while parental alcohol/drug abuse was no longer a predictor. Having several disabilities increased the risk of violence.

CONCLUSIONS: Criminal victimization of children and adolescents with specific disabilities was common. However, compared to the previous decade, a considerable reduction of one-third has taken place. Four risk factors contributed particularly to the risk of violence; therefore, precautions should be taken to further reduce the violence.

Language: en

Keywords

Adolescent; Child; Humans; Female; Male; Prospective Studies; physical violence; prospective; Denmark/epidemiology; *Physical Abuse; Children and adolescents; *Disabled Children; Birth Cohort; cohorte nacional de nacimiento; disabilities; discapacidades; Infantes y adolescentes; national birth cohort; prospectivo; violencia física; 儿童和青少年; 全国出生队列; 前瞻性; 残疾; 身体暴力