TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2017//
TI  - Analysis of contextual variables in the evaluation of child abuse in the pediatric emergency setting in Portugal
JO  - Jornal de Pediatria
A1  - Almeida, Ana Nunes de
A1  - Ramos, Vasco
A1  - Almeida, Helena Nunes de
A1  - Escobar, Carlos Gil
A1  - Garcia, Catarina
SP  - 374
EP  - 381
VL  - 93
IS  - 4
N2  - OBJECTIVE: This article comprises a sample of abuse modalities observed in a pediatric emergency room (PER) of a public hospital in the Lisbon metropolitan area and a multifactorial characterization of physical and sexual violence. The objectives are: (1) to discuss the importance of social and family variables in the configuration of both types of violence; (2) to show how physical and sexual violence have subtypes and internal diversity. <br><br>METHODS: A statistical analysis was carried out in a database (1063 records of child abuse between 2004 and 2013). A form was applied to cases with suspected abuse, containing data on the child, family, abuse episode, abuser, medical history, and clinical observation. A factorial analysis of multiple correspondence was performed to identify patterns of association between social variables and physical and sexual violence, as well as their internal diversity. <br><br>RESULTS: The prevalence of abuse in this PER was 0.6%. Physical violence predominated (69.4%), followed by sexual violence (39.3%). Exploratory profiles of these types of violence were constructed. Regarding physical violence, the gender of the abuser was the first differentiating dimension; the victim's gender and age range were the second one. In the case of sexual violence, the age of the abuser and co-residence with him/her comprised the first dimension; the victim's age and gender comprised the second dimension. <br><br>CONCLUSION: Patterns of association between victims, family contexts, and abusers were identified. It is necessary to alert clinicians about the importance of social variables in the multiple facets of child abuse.<br><br>Copyright © 2017 Sociedade Brasileira de Pediatria. Published by Elsevier Editora Ltda. All rights reserved.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0021-7557
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jped.2016.09.005
ID  - ref1
ER  -