• Home

Home > Medical Reference > Encyclopedia (English)

Toggle: English / Spanish

Child abuse - physical

• Overview
• Symptoms
• Treatment
• Prevention

Definition:

The physical signs of child abuse used to be called battered child syndrome. This syndrome referred to multiple fractures in different states of healing. The fractures occurred at different times in children too young to have received the fractures as a result of an accident.

The definition of child abuse has since expanded significantly. Physical child abuse or non-accidental child trauma refers not only to multiple fractures at different ages, but it also includes numerous other signs of injury.

See also:

• Child sexual abuse
• Child psychological abuse and neglect

Alternative Names:

Battered child syndrome; Physical abuse - children

Causes, incidence, and risk factors:

Physical abuse tends to occur at moments of greatest stress, when someone strikes out in anger at the child. Many of those who commit physical abuse have been abused themselves as children. As a result, they often do not realize that abuse is not appropriate discipline. Those who commit physical abuse also frequently have poor impulse control, which prevents them from thinking about what happens as a result of their actions.

Because adults are so much stronger and bigger than children, an abused child can be severely injured or killed by accident. For example, shaking an infant, especially if the head hits something, even against a soft object like a mattress or pillow, can cause bleeding over the brain ( subdural hematoma ). This can cause permanent brain damage or death. (See shaken baby syndrome .)

Unfortunately, the rate of child abuse is fairly high. The most common form is neglect. Child abuse accounts for at least 1,400 deaths in children each year.

The major risk factors for someone to abuse another person include:

• Poverty
• Lack of education
• Being a single parent
• Alcoholism
• Other drug abuse

• Review Date: 12/11/2006
• Reviewed By: Rachel A. Lewis, MD, FAAP, Columbia University Pediatric Faculty Practice, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). URAC's accreditation program is the first of its kind, requiring compliance with 53 standards of quality and accountability, verified by independent audit. A.D.A.M. is among the first to achieve this important distinction for online health information and services. Learn more about A.D.A.M.'s editorial process . A.D.A.M. is also a founding member of Hi-Ethics (www.hiethics.com) and subscribes to the principles of the Health on the Net Foundation (www.hon.ch).

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 1997-2007 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.