The Center for Family Safety and Healing

Outcomes After Surgical Interventions for Abusive Head Trauma
Outcomes After Surgical Interventions for Abusive Head Trauma 1024 683 Mary Bates, PhD

Study suggests that most children can make clinically meaningful recoveries after neurosurgical intervention. Abusive head trauma (AHT) is a leading cause of injury and death in children under 5 years, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), yet the scientific literature on neurosurgical intervention for this population is mixed. Given the range…

How Domestic Violence Affects Child Development
How Domestic Violence Affects Child Development 1024 575 Kristin Crichton, DO, MPH

Domestic violence in the home affects more than just the immediate victim. If children are present to see and/or hear it, it takes a toll on their healthy, natural development unless they receive support to help them cope and heal. Children exposed to violence may experience issues with attachment, school engagement, academic success, relationships and…

Preventing and Addressing Child Abuse During COVID-19
Preventing and Addressing Child Abuse During COVID-19 1024 575 Kristin Crichton, DO, MPH

With schools and daycares closed, stay-at-home orders in effect, and most non-emergency health care visits being conducted via telehealth, reporting and addressing child abuse is more difficult. Dr. Crichton from The Center for Family Safety and Healing shares advice for providers to identify child abuse during telehealth visits. As concerns about the coronavirus pandemic swept…

A Hidden Epidemic: Parental Incarceration and What To Do When It Affects Your Patients
A Hidden Epidemic: Parental Incarceration and What To Do When It Affects Your Patients 1024 512 Andrew Axelson and Samantha Boch, PhD

If having an incarcerated parent was classified as a chronic health condition, it would be the second most prevalent chronic condition in the United States for children under the age of 18 – just behind asthma. In fact, the percentage of American youth with an incarcerated parent is about 10 times higher than the percentage…

Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S. is Real — and a New Tool can Help Doctors Identify Victims
Child Sex Trafficking in the U.S. is Real — and a New Tool can Help Doctors Identify Victims 150 150 Katie Brind'Amour, PhD, MS, CHES

Researchers exploring the alarmingly high prevalence of child sex trafficking in the United States have validated a practical tool for identifying victims in multiple health care settings. At least one in every 10 minors visiting emergency departments, child advocacy centers and teen clinics for sexual trauma or assault are victims of child sex trafficking, according…

Human Trafficking: How many victims have you treated?
Human Trafficking: How many victims have you treated? 1024 575 Abbie Miller

Data shows that health care providers may be coming into contact with victims and those at risk with more frequency than expected. How many victims have you treated? The answer is probably higher than you think. According to a report published in the Annals of Health Law, 88 percent of sex trafficking survivors reported contact with…

Patients Without Borders
Patients Without Borders 150 150 Dave Ghose

Immigrant children represent the fastest growing segment of the U.S. population. What can pediatricians do to help these vulnerable patients? James Duffee, MD, MPH, watched the immigrant population change dramatically during his 15 years as a community health pediatrician and child psychiatrist in Springfield, Ohio. When he founded the Rocking Horse Community Health Center in 1999,…

1 in 8 Children Exposed to Violence 5 or More Times in a Year
1 in 8 Children Exposed to Violence 5 or More Times in a Year 150 150 Tiasha Letostak, PhD

The average pediatric subspecialist sees two to four child polyvictims each day. What can physicians do to help these children and their families? According to the National Survey of Children’s Exposure to Violence (NatSCEV), 60 percent of children have directly experienced or indirectly witnessed at least one act of violence in the previous year. Nearly…

Witnessing a Parent’s Injury Can Leave Kids with PTSD, Study Suggests
Witnessing a Parent’s Injury Can Leave Kids with PTSD, Study Suggests 150 150 Tiasha Letostak, PhD

When parents have an injury, their children are more likely to experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. What can pediatric health professionals do to help these families? In June, Pediatrics published the first-ever study examining the effect of civilian parents’ injuries on their uninjured children. Researchers from the Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center at…