Experts join forces for pioneering study on child physical abuse hospitalisations

The results of the first-ever large scale analysis of child physical abuse (CPA) hospitalisations have revealed important insights into trends across five European countries.

Funded by HORIZON Europe under the SERENA project and supported by the European Cooperation in Science and Technology COST Action Euro-CAN network, this study used administrative data from Denmark, England, France, Ireland, and Wales, in infants and young children less than five years old.

It was co-led by Dr Catherine Quantin from Dijon University Hospital and Swansea University’s Dr Laura Cowley.

Child physical abuse is a major global public health issue with lifelong consequences, but there is little reliable data on how often it leads to hospitalisation.

The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe, analysed nationwide hospital records over an eight-year period from 2013 to 2021 to identify key trends and patterns.

Its key findings were:

• Comparing trends in CPA hospitalisations between countries is feasible;
• The incidence rate of CPA-related hospitalisations for infants less than one year remained relatively stable, averaging around 42 cases per 100,000 births annually;
• During the pandemic in 2020, the proportion of all hospitalisations related to CPA significantly increased which may be due to a reduction in overall hospital admissions during Covid-19, as there was no increase in rates out of all children in the community.
• Variations in national coding practices and year-on-year trends across countries highlight the need for standardised data collection to improve CPA surveillance and intervention strategies.

Dr Cowley, co-leader of Working Group 2 of the Euro-CAN network said: "Our study demonstrates the value of hospital records in monitoring child physical abuse trends and the importance of collaboration in tackling complex public health challenges. By using administrative data from multiple countries, we can gain a clearer understanding of child physical abuse trends and help shape policies to safeguard children across Europe."

SERENA project coordinator and leader of Working Group 2 of the Euro-CAN network Professor Quantin said: “If the collection and analysis of CPA hospitalisation data were extended to all European countries and the quality of the information improved, it would be possible to create a European metric for CPA.

 “This would facilitate monitoring and surveillance of CPA, analysis of the impact of events such as pandemics, and measurement of the effectiveness of policies and interventions, all at the national or European level. This evidence could in turn support intergovernmental efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against children.”

This collaborative study involved researchers from institutions across multiple countries including:

Professor Sinead Brophy and Dr Natasha Kennedy, Swansea University

Dr Jonathan Cottenet, Dijon University Hospital;

Professor Ruth Gilbert and Colleen Chambers, University College London, UK;

Dr Sadhbh Whelan, The Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth,

Dublin, Ireland;

Dr Geoff Debelle, University of Birmingham, UK;

Dr Diogo Lamela, Lusofona University, Portugal;

Dr Ulugbek Nurmatov, Cardiff University, UK;

Dr Donna O’Leary, Tusla Child and Family Agency, and University College Cork, Ireland;

Professor Christian Torp-Pedersen and Dr Marcella Broccia, Nordsjaellands hospital, Denmark; and,

Dr Troels Græsholt-Knudsen, Department of Forensic Medicine, Aarhus University, Denmark