Thesis (M.Sc.) - Cairo University - Faculty of Medicine - Department of Forensic Medicine - Toxicology

Introduction: Child abuse remains a significant public health and social problem in developing and low income countries. The aim of the current study is to assess suspected child abuse cases regarding the type of the abuse, its different patterns, its relation to psychiatric disorders in children and to determine the demographic characteristics and risk factors of children and parents involved in subtypes of child abuse Materials and Methods: This is a prospective and retrospective cross sectional statistical study conducted on suspected child abuse cases at psychiatric outpatient clinic, retrospectively from June 2018 to June 2019 and prospectively from July to December 2019. All children suspected to be abused were included in this study. Child abuse was suspected from history of caregiver and/ or clinical examination of the child. Parents were asked a prepared questionnaire about different types of child abuse and their possible parental risk factors. The understudy population consisted of 360 child abuse cases. Results: All children in this study were exposed to physical and emotional abuse and only 10 cases were exposed also to sexual abuse. Out of 360 child 71.9% were males, 60% in school age, ADHD children were more abused and so the first child in the family. The more abusing families were of married parents, from urban areas, had three children and low income. Less educated parents, working fathers and nonworking mothers were common abusers. Substance abuse, smoking, and parental history of childhood abuse were significant risk factors of abuse.Conclusion: This study showed that physical and emotional abuse were common and significantly related to child psychiatric disease and that demographic characteristics of the child and parents and some related risk factors have a significant effect on child abuse subtypes

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