Risk factors associated with maltreatment syndrome in Mexican children seen at the Emergency Department

Abstract

Introduction. Child maltreatment is a common cause of hospitalization in developing countries. Children who suffer some type of physical or psychological abuse may develop social adaptation problems. This study analyzed the risk factors associated with child maltreatment syndrome in children admitted to the Emergency Department. Population and methods. This was a case-control study of children who suffered maltreatment and controls at a 1:1 ratio conducted between January 2015 and December 2016. The most relevant risk factors were analyzed; a p value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results. In total, 148 children who suffered maltreatment and 148 controls were included. Fetal abuse was the most common problem, followed by neglect. In most cases, the abuser was a relative or acquaintance of the child. Being a teenage mother (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 3.19; 95 % confidence interval [CI]: 1.49-6.80), a low level of education (aOR: 4.70; 95 % CI: 2.33-9.45), a low income (aOR: 2.02; 95 % CI: 1.16-3.5), illegal drug use (aOR: 15.32; 95 % CI: 6.22-37.7), a child with disability (aOR: 8.58; 95 % CI: 2.76-26.6), and age younger than 2 years (aOR: 2.08; 95% CI: 1.20-3.63) were the highest risk factors for child maltreatment. Conclusion. Teenage mothers with a low socioeconomic level have the higher risk for abuse from a caregiver. Disability is a risk factor that doubles in the multivariate analysis when associated with teenage mothers.