Predicting factors of abusive head trauma in infants within a child maltreatment population

Research into the predictors of child physical abuse has shown that caregivers that have perpetrated child physical abuse experience internalizing mental health concerns (stress, emotional distress, anxiety, and depression) more often than other caregivers. Domestic violence within the household is also related to caregivers who have perpetrated child physical abuse, as well as their own childhood abuse and neglect. Studies have also shown that younger caregivers are more likely than older caregivers to commit child physical abuse. With bountiful research on child physical abuse, there is very little on Shaken Baby Syndrome or Abusive Head Trauma (AHT). The current study examined the relationship between diagnosed mental illness of the caregiver, a presence of domestic violence, caregiver age, caregiver sex, marital status, number of children within the household and AHT, using the Fourth National Incidence Study of Child Abuse and Neglect (NIS-4) archival dataset on 12,694 abused or maltreated children collected by the Children's Bureau and the Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families that took place in 2005 and 2006. This study found that caregivers aged 25 and younger are more likely to contribute to abusive head trauma than caregivers aged 26 and older and families with 2 or less children have a higher likelihood of abusive head trauma occurring within them than families with 3 or more children. There was no significance found in a relationship between abusive head trauma and mental illness within the caregiver, domestic violence within the household, marital status, or sex of the caregiver