Differences between violence against children and adolescents in Maranhão, Brazil, 2009-2019

Abstract

Objectives: to analyze differences between violence against children and adolescents according to characteristics of cases, probable perpetrators, occurrences and typologies and compare their temporal and spatial distributions. Methods: data were collected from the Notifiable Diseases Information System (SINAN), Maranhão, from 2009-2019. Results: 4,457 notifications of violence against children and 5,826 against adolescents were analyzed. In the 11 years investigated, violence against children was more frequent in 2015 and 2016 and in five of the 19 Maranhão Health Regions. Violence against males was more frequent in childhood and against females prevailed mostly in adolescence (p<0.001). While mothers (p<0.001), fathers (p=0.029) and caregivers (p<0.001) were most frequently accused of violence against children, friends/ acquaintances (p<0.001), spouses/boyfriends/girlfriends (p<0.001) and strangers (p<0.001) mainly assaulted adolescents. Violence motivated by sexism (p=0.006), generational conflict (p<0.001), street situation (p=0.002) and disability (p=0.035) were more frequent in adolescence. Physical (p<0.001), sexual (p<0.001) and psychological/moral (p<0.001) violence, torture (p<0.001) and self-aggression (p<0.001) were most commonly reported in adolescence and neglect/abandonment predominated was mostly reported against children (p<0.001). Conclusions: violence against children and adolescents residing in the state of Maranhão and notified in SINAN were distinct phenomena in relation to the characteristics of cases, probable authors, occurrences, and typologies.