Psychosocial problems of children whose parents visit the emergency department due to intimate partner violence, substance abuse or a suicide attempt.

BACKGROUND: High levels of maltreatment are found in children who are identified because their parents visit the emergency department due to partner violence, substance abuse or suicide attempt. However, it is unknown if these children experience psychosocial problems. This study aims to assess their levels of post-traumatic stress, anxiety, depression, behavioural problems and health-related quality of life. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in six hospitals. All consecutive families of which a parent visited the emergency department due to partner violence, substance abuse or suicide attempt between 1 July 2012 and 1 March 2014 with children aged 1.5-17 years were approached for participation. Parents and children aged 8 years and older filled out questionnaires measuring post-traumatic stress [13-item version of Children's Revised Impact of Event Scale (CRIES-13)], anxiety, depression (Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale), behavioural problems [Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Youth Self-Report (YSR)] and health-related quality of life (PedsQL). Scores of participants were compared with reference data obtained in children in similar age ranges from representative Dutch community samples (CRIES-13, Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale, PedsQL and CBCL) and to a normed cutoff score (CRIES-13). RESULTS: Of 195 eligible families, 89 (46%) participated in the study. Participating children did not score different from community children, both on child-reported and parent-reported instruments. Standardized mean differences of total sum scores were 0 (CRIES-13 and CBCL 1.5-5), 0.1 (YSR), 0.2 (CBCL 6-18) and -0.3 (PedsQL) and not statistically different from community children. Thirty-five percent of the participating children scored above the cutoff score on the CRIES-13, indicating post-traumatic stress disorder, but this difference was not statistically significant from community children (mean difference 8%; 95% CI -4-22%). CONCLUSIONS: We found no differences in psychosocial problems between children whose parents visited the emergency department due to partner violence, substance abuse or suicide attempt and children from community samples. Because 35% of the children scored in the range of post-traumatic stress disorder, we advise healthcare providers to pay attention to post-traumatic stress symptoms.

A Descriptive Mixed-Methods Analysis of Sexual Behavior and Knowledge in Very Young Children Assessed for Sexual Abuse: The ASAC Study.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide problem with serious consequences. We hypothesized that worrisome sexual behavior and knowledge would frequently be reported in children assessed after CSA. We therefore investigated (A) what types of sexual behaviors and knowledge were reported by parents of young children assessed for CSA; (B) in what cases such behaviors and knowledge were worrisome; and (C) how such children responded verbally and non-verbally during child interviews. We conducted a mixed-methods study, including qualitative inductive content analysis and quantitative analysis. It included 125 children (76 boys, 60.8%; median age 3.3 years, age range 0-11), all involved in the Amsterdam sexual abuse case (ASAC) and examined for highly suspected (n = 71) or confirmed CSA (n = 54). We identified themes from (1) the parent reports: sexual behavior (e.g., self-stimulation, touching others, imitation of sexual acts), fears and anxiety with regard to sexuality, and sexual utterances (sexual slang, references to sexual acts); and (2) the child interviews: behavioral reactions (avoidance, distractive behaviors), emotional reactions (anger, aggression), and verbal reactions (conspicuous utterances, refusal to talk about specific subjects). In 37% of the children the sexual behavior was deemed worrisome or very worrisome. Clinicians who assess children for CSA are advised to focus in particular on sexual behavior problems and inappropriate sexual knowledge.

Psychosocial symptoms in very young children assessed for sexual abuse: A qualitative analysis from the ASAC study.

Child sexual abuse (CSA) is a worldwide problem with serious consequences. No recognizable symptom pattern for suspected CSA has yet been identified in very young children. We aim to investigate psychosocial symptoms in a sample of children with confirmed or strongly suspected CSA and the interpretations given to such symptoms by independent clinical experts. Secondly we examined whether experts were able to identify confirmed victims of severe CSA. A qualitative study including inductive content analysis of medical files and focus group discussions with independent experts on the interpretation of psychosocial symptoms was conducted. We included 125 children (76 boys, 60.8%, and 49 girls, 39.2%; median age 3.3 years; age range 0-11) who were involved in the Amsterdam sexual abuse case (ASAC) and had been examined for strongly suspected CSA. We identified four themes among the psychosocial symptoms: problems concerning emotions, behavior, toilet training, and development, whether or not associated with the daycare center or the perpetrator. Clinical experts identified signs of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), regression in continence skills (not otherwise explained), and problems triggered by exposure to the perpetrator or the abuse location as concerning symptoms for CSA. Less concerning symptoms were designated as worrisome if they were numerous and there was no clear explanation for these symptoms. A clear symptom pattern was lacking and about half of the confirmed severe victims of CSA did not display any psychosocial problems. Therefore, it is difficult for experts to identify confirmed CSA victims. Thus, the assessment of suspected CSA should be over time and multidisciplinary.