Trends, Diagnoses, and Hospitalization Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States of America

Armeda Stevenson Wojciak; Brandon Butcher; Aislinn Conrad; Carol Coohey; Resmiye Oral; Corinne Peek-Asa

doi:10.3390/ijerph18147585

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Trends, Diagnoses, and Hospitalization Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States of America

Journal article

Open access

Peer reviewed

Trends, Diagnoses, and Hospitalization Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States of America

Armeda Stevenson Wojciak, Brandon Butcher, Aislinn Conrad, Carol Coohey, Resmiye Oral and Corinne Peek-Asa

International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.18(14), p.7585

07/02/2021

DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147585

PMCID: PMC8305453

PMID: 34300039

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Abstract

We conducted a secondary analysis of the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) to examine child abuse and neglect hospitalization from 1998–2016. The NIS is the largest all-payer, inpatient care database in the United States and is maintained by the Health Care Utilization Project. Participants were youth 18 years and younger with discharged diagnoses of child abuse and neglect from hospitals. The rate of child abuse or neglect hospitalizations did not vary significantly over the study period (1998–2016), which on average was 6.9 per 100,000 children annually. Males (53.0%), infants (age < 1; 47.3%), and young children (age 1–3; 24.2%) comprised most of the child maltreatment cases. Physical abuse was the most frequent type of maltreatment leading to hospitalization. Government insurance was the most common payer source, accounting for 77.3% of all child maltreatment hospitalizations and costing 1.4 billion dollars from 2001–2016. Hospitalizations due to child abuse and neglect remain steady and are costly, averaging over $116 million per year. The burden on government sources suggests a high potential for return on investment in effective child abuse prevention strategies.

child maltreatment

hospitalization costs

hospitalization rates

National Inpatient Sample

Details

Title: Subtitle: Trends, Diagnoses, and Hospitalization Costs of Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States of America
Creators: Armeda Stevenson Wojciak - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Brandon Butcher - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Aislinn Conrad - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Carol Coohey - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Resmiye Oral - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Corinne Peek-Asa - Department of Family Social Science, College of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA Injury Prevention Research Center and Department of Biostatistics, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (B.B.); (C.P.-A.) School of Social Work, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA; (A.C.); (C.C.) Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth, Geisel School of Pediatrics, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03756, USA
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: International journal of environmental research and public health, Vol.18(14), p.7585
DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18147585
PMID: 34300039
PMCID: PMC8305453
NLM abbreviation: Int J Environ Res Public Health
ISSN: 1661-7827
eISSN: 1660-4601
Publisher: MDPI
Language: English
Date published: 07/02/2021
Academic Unit: Occupational and Environmental Health; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Epidemiology; School of Social Work; Nursing; Center for Social Science Innovation; Injury Prevention Research Center; Public Policy Center (Archive)
Record Identifier: 9984215138802771

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