Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Identifying Indicators During Pregnancy for Child Maltreatment

  • Published:
Maternal and Child Health Journal Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

To measure the effect of a short interpregnancy interval (IPI), along with other indicators routinely asked during pregnancy on later report of child maltreatment. We hypothesized that an IPI of <18 months was associated with increased risk of child maltreatment. This study was a secondary analysis of a linked population-based dataset from 2005 to 2007 in Florida. Data were derived from three sources: Birth Certificates, Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screens, and the HomeSafeNet Database. Primary predictor variables were IPI, and mothers’ evaluations of the timing of the pregnancy and perceptions of harm. Logistic regression analyses were used to estimate the odds of child maltreatment, adjusting for demographic and other known risk factors for maltreatment. The final study sample consisted of 85,258 multipara women-infant dyads with credible IPIs and with completed Healthy Start Prenatal Risk Screens. Seventeen percent of children had a report of child maltreatment in the first 5 years of life. An IPI of less than 18 months was associated with 18 % higher odds of maltreatment compared to an IPI of greater than 18 months (95 % CI 1.13, 1.23). Mothers’ perception of harm and desire to be pregnant at a later time were also significantly associated with higher odds of maltreatment report (AOR = 2.43 95 % CI = 2.17, 2.71 and AOR = 1.18 95 % CI 1.13, 1.24, respectively). Ascertaining short IPI and asking pregnant and peripartum women about their perception of harm and desire for a longer birth spacing can alert obstetricians, family practitioners and pediatricians to potential child maltreatment.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

IPI:

Interpregnancy interval

CMT:

Child maltreatment

OR:

Odds ratio

aOR:

Adjusted odds ratio

CI:

Confidence interval

References

  1. Leeb, R. T., Paulozzi, L., Melanson, C. et al. (2008). Child maltreatment surveillance: Uniform definitions for public health and recommended data elements, version 1.0. Atlanta 2008.

  2. Stith, S. M., Liu, T., Davies, L. C., et al. (2009). Risk factors in child maltreatment: A meta-analytic review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 14(1), 13–29.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Brown, J., Cohen, P., Johnson, J. G., et al. (1998). A longitudinal analysis of risk factors for child maltreatment: Findings of a 17 year prospective study of officially recorded and self-reported child abuse and neglect. Child Abuse and Neglect, 22(11), 1065–1078.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Black, D. A., Heyman, R. E., & Smith Slep, A. M. (2001). Risk factors for child physical abuse. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 6(2–3), 121–188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Flaherty, E. G., & Stirling, J. (2010). Clinical report—the pediatrician’s role in child maltreatment prevention. Pediatrics, 126(4), 833–841.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  6. U.S. Department of health and human services, administration for children and families, administration on children, youth and families, children’s bureau. Child Maltreatment 2009. 2010.

  7. Altemeier, W. A., Vietze, P. M., Sherrod, K. B., et al. (1979). Prediction of child maltreatment during pregnancy. Journal of the American Academy of Child Psychiatry, 18(2), 205–218.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Sholapurkar, S. L. (2010). Is there an ideal interpregnancy interval after a live birth, miscarriage or other adverse pregnancy outcomes? Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, 30(2), 107–110.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  9. Conde-Agudelo, A., Rosas-Bermúdez, A., & Kafury-Goeta, A. C. (2006). Birth spacing and risk of adverse perinatal outcomes—a meta-analysis. JAMA, 295(15), 1809–1823.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Basso, O., Olsen, J., Knudsen, L. B., et al. (1998). Low birth weight and preterm birth after short interpregnancy intervals. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 178(2), 259–263.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Cecatti, J. G., Correa-Silva, E. P. B., Milanez, H., et al. (2008). The associations between inter-pregnancy interval and maternal and neonatal outcomes in Brazil. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 12(2), 275–281.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Rawlings, J. S., Rawlings, V. B., & Read, J. A. (1995). Prevalence of low birth weight and preterm delivery in relation to the interval between pregnancies among white and black women. New England Journal of Medicine, 332(2), 69–74.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Zhu, B. P., Rolfs, R. T., Nangle, B. E., et al. (1999). Effect of the interval between pregnancies on perinatal outcomes. New England Journal of Medicine, 340(8), 589–594.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Conde-Agudelo, A., Belizan, J. M., Norton, M. H., et al. (2005). Effect of the interpregnancy interval on perinatal outcomes in Latin America. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 106(2), 359–366.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Lieberman, E., Lang, J. M., Ryan, K. J., et al. (1989). The association of inter-pregnancy interval with small for gestational age births. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 74(1), 1–5.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Conde-Agudelo, A., & Belizan, J. M. (2000). Maternal morbidity and mortality associated with interpregnancy interval: Cross sectional study. BMJ, 321(7271), 1255–1259.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Razzaque, A., Da Vanzo, J., Rahman, M., et al. (2005). Pregnancy spacing and maternal morbidity in Matlab, Bangladesh. International Journal of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, 89(1), S41–S49.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Trogstad, L. I. S., Eskild, A., Magnus, P., et al. (2001). Changing paternity and time since last pregnancy; the impact on pre-eclampsia risk. A study of 547238 women with and without previous pre-eclampsia. International Journal of Epidemiology, 30(6), 1317–1322.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. Bujold, E., Mehta, S. H., Bujold, C., et al. (2002). Interdelivery interval and uterine rupture. American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, 187(5), 1199–1202.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Shipp, T. D., Zelop, C. M., Repke, J. T., et al. (2001). Interdelivery interval and risk of symptomatic uterine rupture. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 97(2), 175–177.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Zuravin, S. J. (1988). Fertility patterns—their relationship to child physical abuse and child neglect. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 50(4), 983–993. doi:10.2307/352109.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Crowne, S. S., Gonsalves, K., Burrell, L., et al. (2012). Relationship between birth spacing, child maltreatment, and child behavior and development outcomes among at-risk families. Maternal and Child Health Journal, 16(7), 1413–1420. doi:10.1007/s10995-011-0909-3.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  23. Florida Department of Health. Florida’s Healthy Start. Florida Department of Health,, Tallahassee. n.d. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Family/mch/hs/hs.html. Accessed Feb 04 2012.

  24. Florida Department of Health. Healthy Start Annual Report 2005. Florida Department of Health,, Tallahassee. 2006. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/mch/hs/hsreport2005.pdf. Accessed Feb 04 2012.

  25. Twisk, J., & de Vente, W. (2002). Attrition in longitudinal studies: how to deal with missing data. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 55(4), 329–337.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Florida Department of Health. Florida Births with Interpregnancy Intervals < 18 Months. Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee. 2010. http://www.floridacharts.com/maps/CHARTS_COUNTY_MAP/charts2.html?Sid=3gd0camytgiuw355r5gyy4554. Accessed Feb 04 2012.

  27. Lanier, P., Jonson-Reid, M., Stahlschmidt, M. J., et al. (2010). Child maltreatment and pediatric health outcomes: a longitudinal study of low-income children. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35(5), 511–522.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Lansford, J. E., Dodge, K. A., Pettit, G. S., et al. (2002). A 12-year prospective study of the long-term effects of early child physical maltreatment on psychological, behavioral, and academic problems in adolescence. Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, 156(8), 824–830.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Wu, S. S., Chang-Xing, M., Carter, R. L., et al. (2004). Risk factors for infant maltreatment: a population-based study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 28(12), 1253–1264.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Winikoff, B. (1983). The effects of birth spacing on child and maternal health. Studies in Family Planning, 14(10), 231–245.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  31. Miller, E., Decker, M. R., McCauley, H. L., et al. (2010). Pregnancy coercion, intimate partner violence, and unintended pregnancy. Contraception, 81(4), 316–322.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Stewart, D. E., & Cecutti, A. (1993). Physical abuse in pregnancy. CMAJ, 149(9), 1257–1263.

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  33. Zuravin, S. J. (1987). Unplanned pregnancies, family-planning problems, and child maltreatment. Family Relations, 36(2), 135–139.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Wolfner, G. D., & Gelles, R. J. (1993). A profile of violence toward children: A national study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 17(2), 197–212.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  35. Parrish, J. W., Young, M. B., Perham-Hester, K. A., et al. (2011). Identifying risk factors for child maltreatment in Alaska: A population-based approach. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 40(6), 666–673.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Li, F., Godient, M. T., & Arnsberger, P. (2011). Protective factors among families with children at risk of maltreatment: follow up from early school years. Children and Youth Services Review, 33(1), 139–148.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Drake, B., Lee, S. M., & Jonson-Reid, M. (2009). Race and child maltreatment reporting: Are blacks overrepresented?. Children and Youth Services Review, 31(3), 309–316.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Drake, B., & Pandey, S. (1996). Understanding the relationship between neighborhood poverty and specific types of child maltreatment. Child Abuse and Neglect, 20(11), 1003–1018.

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  39. Schuck, A. M. (2005). Explaining black-white disparity in maltreatment: Poverty, female-headed families, and urbanization. Journal of Marriage and Family, 67(3), 543–551.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Mills, R., Alanti, R., O’Callaghan, M., et al. (2010). Child abuse and neglect and cognitive function at 14 years of age: Findings from a birth cohort. Pediatrics, 127(1), 4–10.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  41. Florida Department of Health. Healthy Start Annual Report 2009. Florida Department of Health, Tallahassee. 2010. http://www.doh.state.fl.us/family/mch/hs/hsreport2009.pdf. Accessed Feb 04 2012.

  42. Dube, S. R., Anda, R. F., Felitti, V. J., et al. (2002). Adverse childhood experiences and personal alcohol abuse as an adult. Addictive Behaviors, 27(5), 713–725.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  43. Dube, S. R., Felitti, V. J., Dong, M., et al. (2003). Childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction and the risk of illicit drug use: The adverse childhood experiences study. Journal of Pediatrics, 111(3), 564–572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Conflict of interest

None.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B Downs, MDC56, Tampa, FL, 33612, USA

    Erika L. Thompson

  2. Department of Pediatrics, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Erika L. Thompson, Lindsay A. Thompson, Erik W. Black, Debra Esernio-Jenssen, Rajeeb Das & Jeffrey Roth

  3. Departments of Pathology and Obstetrics/Gynecology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA

    Nancy Hardt

Authors
  1. Erika L. Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lindsay A. Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Erik W. Black
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Debra Esernio-Jenssen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Nancy Hardt
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Rajeeb Das
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Jeffrey Roth
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Erika L. Thompson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thompson, E.L., Thompson, L.A., Black, E.W. et al. Identifying Indicators During Pregnancy for Child Maltreatment. Matern Child Health J 17, 1817–1824 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1201-x

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10995-012-1201-x

Keywords

Search

Navigation