Papers by Emalee Flaherty
Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 2006
To examine the effect of child abuse and other household dysfunction on child health outcomes.
To examine the effect of child abuse and other household dysfunction on child health outcomes.
PEDIATRICS, 2008
The goals were to determine how frequently primary care clinicians reported suspected physical ch... more The goals were to determine how frequently primary care clinicians reported suspected physical child abuse, the levels of suspicion associated with reporting, and what factors influenced reporting to child protective services. In this prospective observational study, 434 clinicians collected data on 15003 child injury visits, including information about the injury, child, family, likelihood that the injury was caused by child abuse (5-point scale), and whether the injury was reported to child protective services. Data on 327 clinicians indicating some suspicion of child abuse for 1683 injuries were analyzed. Clinicians reported 95 (6%) of the 1683 patients to child protective services. Clinicians did not report 27% of injuries considered likely or very likely caused by child abuse and 76% of injuries considered possibly caused by child abuse. Reporting rates were increased if the clinician perceived the injury to be inconsistent with the history and if the patient was referred to the clinician for suspected child abuse. Patients who had an injury that was not a laceration, who had >1 family risk factor, who had a serious injury, who had a child risk factor other than an inconsistent injury, who were black, or who were unfamiliar to the clinician were more likely to be reported. Clinicians who had not reported all suspicious injuries during their career or who had lost families as patients because of previous reports were more likely to report suspicious injuries. Clinicians had some degree of suspicion that approximately 10% of the injuries they evaluated were caused by child abuse. Clinicians did not report all suspicious injuries to child protective services, even if the level of suspicion was high (likely or very likely caused by child abuse). Child, family, and injury characteristics and clinician previous experiences influenced decisions to report.
Primary care clinicians participating in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study did not repor... more Primary care clinicians participating in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study did not report all suspected physical child abuse to child protective services. This evaluation of study data seeks (1) to identify factors clinicians weighed when deciding whether to report injuries they suspected might have been caused by child abuse; (2) to describe clinicians' management strategies for children with injuries from suspected child abuse that were not reported; and (3) to describe how clinicians explained not reporting high-suspicion injuries. From the 434 pediatric primary care clinicians who participated in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study and who indicated they had provided care for a child with an injury they perceived as suspicious, a subsample of 75 of 81 clinicians completed a telephone interview. Interviewees included 36 clinicians who suspected child abuse but did not report the injury to child protective services (12 with high suspicion and 24 with some suspicion) and 39 who reported the suspicious injury. Interviews were analyzed for major themes and subthemes, including decision-making regarding reporting of suspected physical child abuse to child protective services and alternative management strategies. Four major themes emerged regarding the clinicians' reporting decisions, that is, familiarity with the family, reference to elements of the case history, use of available resources, and perception of expected outcomes of reporting to child protective services. When they did not report, clinicians planned alternative management strategies, including active or informal case follow-up management. When interviewed, some clinicians modified their original opinion that an injury was likely or very likely caused by abuse, to explain why they did not report to child protective services. Decisions about reporting to child protective services are guided by injury circumstances and history, knowledge of and experiences with the family, consultation with others, and previous experiences with child protective services.
PEDIATRICS, 2008
Primary care clinicians participating in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study did not repor... more Primary care clinicians participating in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study did not report all suspected physical child abuse to child protective services. This evaluation of study data seeks (1) to identify factors clinicians weighed when deciding whether to report injuries they suspected might have been caused by child abuse; (2) to describe clinicians' management strategies for children with injuries from suspected child abuse that were not reported; and (3) to describe how clinicians explained not reporting high-suspicion injuries. From the 434 pediatric primary care clinicians who participated in the Child Abuse Reporting Experience Study and who indicated they had provided care for a child with an injury they perceived as suspicious, a subsample of 75 of 81 clinicians completed a telephone interview. Interviewees included 36 clinicians who suspected child abuse but did not report the injury to child protective services (12 with high suspicion and 24 with some suspicion) and 39 who reported the suspicious injury. Interviews were analyzed for major themes and subthemes, including decision-making regarding reporting of suspected physical child abuse to child protective services and alternative management strategies. Four major themes emerged regarding the clinicians' reporting decisions, that is, familiarity with the family, reference to elements of the case history, use of available resources, and perception of expected outcomes of reporting to child protective services. When they did not report, clinicians planned alternative management strategies, including active or informal case follow-up management. When interviewed, some clinicians modified their original opinion that an injury was likely or very likely caused by abuse, to explain why they did not report to child protective services. Decisions about reporting to child protective services are guided by injury circumstances and history, knowledge of and experiences with the family, consultation with others, and previous experiences with child protective services.
Pediatrics, 2005
Intentional injuries are significant causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the United St... more Intentional injuries are significant causes of pediatric morbidity and mortality in the United States. A 1998 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) survey identified child abuse, domestic violence, and community violence as concerns for pediatricians, although the majority of pediatricians also reported feeling unprepared to manage these issues. A second AAP survey in 2003 analyzed trends in pediatrician experience and attitudes related to these issues. Surveys were sent to national random samples of AAP members in 1998 (n = 1629) and 2003 (n = 1603); response rates were 62% and 53%, respectively. Surveys measured pediatrician experience in the past 12 months in managing injuries caused by child abuse, domestic violence, and community violence. Attitudes regarding available resources and adequacy of training about intentional injury management were also collected. Trends between surveys were analyzed using chi2 analysis. The proportion of pediatricians who reported treatment of inten...
Pediatric annals, 2005
Physicians systematically underidentify and underreport cases of child abuse. These medical error... more Physicians systematically underidentify and underreport cases of child abuse. These medical errors may result in continued abuse, leading to potentially severe consequences. We have reviewed a number of studies that attempt to explain the reasons for these errors. The findings of these various studies suggest several priorities for improving the identification and reporting of child maltreatment: Improve continuing education about child maltreatment. Continuing education should focus not only on the identification of maltreatment but also on management and outcomes. This education should include an explanation of the role of CPS investigator and the physician's role in an investigation. The education should provide physicians with a better understanding of the overall outcome for children reported to CPS to help physicians gain perspective on the small number of maltreated children they may care for in their practice. This education should emphasize that the majority of maltreat...
Child maltreatment, 2006
Pediatrician experience with child protective services (CPS) and factors associated with identify... more Pediatrician experience with child protective services (CPS) and factors associated with identifying and reporting suspected child physical abuse were examined by a survey of members of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Respondents provided information about their demographics and experience, attitudes and practices with child abuse. They indicated their diagnosis and management of a child in a purposely ambiguous clinical vignette. Pediatricians who had received recent child abuse education were more confident in their ability to identify and manage child abuse. High confidence in ability to manage child abuse and positive attitude about domestic violence screening and value of anticipatory guidance predicted that pediatricians would have high suspicion that the child in the vignette was abused and that they would report the child to CPS. Future efforts to improve medical intervention in child abuse should focus on physician attitudes and experience, as well as cognitive fa...
Background.-The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians provide anticipatory... more Background.-The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians provide anticipatory guidance about sexual development and sexual abuse prevention.
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2015
This retrospective study describes the characteristics and mechanisms of forearm fractures in chi... more This retrospective study describes the characteristics and mechanisms of forearm fractures in children <18 months adding to the evidence-base about forearm fractures. It also examines which features of forearm fractures in young children may help discriminate between abusive and noninflicted injuries. Electronic medical records were reviewed for eligible patients evaluated between September 1, 2007 and January 1, 2012 at two children's hospitals in Chicago, IL. The main outcome measures were the type of fracture and the etiology of the fracture (abuse versus not abuse). The 135 included patients sustained 216 forearm fractures. Most were buckle (57%) or transverse (26%). Child protection teams evaluated 47 (35%) of the patients and diagnosed 11 (23%) as having fractures caused by abuse. Children with abusive versus non-inflicted injuries had significant differences in age (median age 7 versus 12 months), race, and presence of additional injuries. Children with abusive forearm fractures often presented without an explanation or a changing history for the injury. Children with non-inflicted forearm fractures often presented after a fall. No particular type of forearm fracture was specific for child abuse. Any forearm fracture in a young child should be evaluated with special attention to the details of the history and the presence of other injuries. Young age, additional injuries, and an absent or inconsistent explanation should increase concern that the fracture was caused by child abuse.
Psychology of violence, 2012
Although widely studied in adults, the link between lifetime adversities and suicidal ideation in... more Although widely studied in adults, the link between lifetime adversities and suicidal ideation in youth is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore this link in adolescents. The analyses used a sample of 740 16-year-old youth in the LONGSCAN sample, and distinguished between childhood (before the age of 12) and adolescent (between age 12 and age 16) adversities. There was a significant link between cumulative lifetime adversities and suicidal ideation. There was no evidence that this link was moderated by gender. Childhood adversities moderated the effects of adolescent adversities on suicidal ideation; effects of adolescent adversities were strongest at low levels of childhood adversities. There was also some evidence supporting a specific cumulative model of the effects of adversities on suicidal ideation; the most predictive model included the sum of the following adversities: childhood physical abuse, childhood neglect, childhood family violence, childhood res...
Pediatrics, 2014
Reducing radiation exposure to minimize risk has been emphasized in recent years. In child abuse,... more Reducing radiation exposure to minimize risk has been emphasized in recent years. In child abuse, the risk of missing occult injuries is often believed to outweigh radiation risk associated with skeletal surveys. Our hypothesis was that there would be no clinically significant difference in results from a limited view, follow-up skeletal survey (SS2) protocol, which omits spine and pelvis views unless these views have findings on the initial skeletal survey (SS1), compared with a traditional SS2 protocol for radiographic evaluation of suspected physical abuse. This study was a retrospective record review involving 5 child protection teams. Consultations for suspected physical abuse were reviewed to identify subjects <24 months of age who had an SS1 and a traditional SS2. The results of these studies were compared to identify subjects in which newly identified spine and pelvis fractures (fractures seen only on SS2 and not on SS1) would have been missed by using a limited view SS2 ...
Academic pediatrics, Jan 25, 2014
Despite growing evidence of links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term heal... more Despite growing evidence of links between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and long-term health outcomes, there has been limited longitudinal investigation of such links in youth. The purpose of these analyses was to describe the patterns of exposure to ACEs over time and their links to youth health. The current analyses used data from LONGSCAN, a prospective study of children at risk for or exposed to child maltreatment, who were followed from age 4 to age 18. The analyses focused on 802 youth with complete data. Cumulative exposure to ACEs between 4 and 16 was used to place participants in 3 trajectory-defined groups: chronic ACEs, early ACEs only, and limited ACEs. Links to self-reported health at age 18 were examined using linear mixed models after controlling for earlier health status and demographics. The chronic ACEs group had increased self-reported health concerns and use of medical care at 18 but not poorer self-rated health status. The early ACEs only group did not si...
Child Abuse & Neglect, 2004
The Annals of Family Medicine, 2010
PURPOSE Unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms are more common in adults who recall abuse as a chi... more PURPOSE Unexplained gastrointestinal symptoms are more common in adults who recall abuse as a child; however, data available on children are limited. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of childhood maltreatment and early development of gastrointestinal symptoms and whether this relation was mediated by psychological distress.
Academic Pediatrics, 2011
OBJECTIVE: This study examined the validity of primary health care providers' (PHCPs) assessment ... more OBJECTIVE: This study examined the validity of primary health care providers' (PHCPs) assessment of suspicion that an injury was caused by child abuse and their decision to report suspected child abuse to child protective services (CPS).
Ambulatory Pediatrics, 2002
Objectives.-To describe the primary care practitioner's assessment of the likelihood that an inju... more Objectives.-To describe the primary care practitioner's assessment of the likelihood that an injury was caused by physical abuse. The hypotheses were 1) practitioners face great uncertainty as to the possibility that an injury may have been caused by abuse; a measure that assigns variable degrees of suspicion to childhood injuries can be developed that will reveal this uncertainty; and 2) practitioner factors and patient factors influence this suspicion.
Ambulatory Pediatrics, 2004
Background.-The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians provide anticipatory... more Background.-The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that pediatricians provide anticipatory guidance about sexual development and sexual abuse prevention.
Academic Pediatrics, 2009
Objective.-The relationship between adverse childhood exposures and poor health, illness, and som... more Objective.-The relationship between adverse childhood exposures and poor health, illness, and somatic complaints at age 12 was examined.
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Papers by Emalee Flaherty