@article{ref1,
title="Physical violence against children with disabilities: a Danish national birth cohort prospective study",
journal="European journal of psychotraumatology",
year="2023",
author="Elklit, Ask and Murphy, Siobhan and Skovgaard, Christian and Lausten, Mette",
volume="14",
number="1",
pages="e2173764-e2173764",
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.<br><br>OBJECTIVE: The aim was to assess 10 disabilities and to examine whether different disabilities vary in their risk of criminal victimization.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<br><br>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.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="2000-8198",
doi="10.1080/20008066.2023.2173764",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2023.2173764"
}