NEW HAVEN, Conn. — A new national study reports that child abuse, specifically in very small children, has risen within the past decade.
The report published in Pediatrics Magazine noted that hospitalization for abuse-related injury increased 4.9% overall among children 18 and under from 1997 through 2009.
During the 12-year period, serious injuries related to abuse rose from 6.1 per 100,000 children ages 18 and under in 1997 to 6.4 per 100,000 in 2009, according to ABC News. The study also shows that serious injury incidents rose 10.9% in children under age one, while older children saw a decrease of 9.1% from 3.3 to 3.0 per 100,000 children from 1997 to 2009.
The findings contradict data released from child protective services, which indicates a 55% decline in substantiated child abuse cases from 1992 through 2009. A second, more extensive study released by the National Incidence Studies stated that there has been a 23% decline in physical abuse in children.
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