Study Reveals Higher Suspected Rates of Child Abuse Among Black Children

A recent study has indicated that Black children are suspected of experiencing child abuse at elevated rates compared to those from other racial and ethnic backgrounds. This research, published in JAMA Network Open, highlights significant disparities in the suspicion of child abuse (SCA) in pediatric cases involving traumatic injuries.

Conducted by a team at Stanford University School of Medicine, the study analyzed patient data collected from a multicenter retrospective study conducted between 2022 and 2024. The analysis included a total of 634,309 pediatric patients who had complete data, among which 13,579 children were identified as having injuries linked to suspected child abuse. This group consisted of 21.2% Black, 16.9% Hispanic, and 41.8% white children.

In contrast, the subgroup without suspected child abuse mirrored the racial distribution reported in the 2010 U.S. Census, revealing that Black and Hispanic children were disproportionately represented in the SCA group while white children were underrepresented. The study calculated odds ratios of 1.75 for Black children and 1.11 for Hispanic children, indicating a heightened risk of being suspected of abuse compared to their white counterparts.

Furthermore, the analysis found that being Black remained an independent risk factor for suspicion of child abuse, even after adjusting for socioeconomic status and hospital characteristics. The odds ratio for Black children was recorded at 1.10, whereas Hispanic ethnicity appeared to offer some protective factors, reflected in an odds ratio of 0.71.

Additionally, the duration of hospital stays for Black children who were suspected of abuse was significantly longer. Specifically, they experienced a 26.5% longer hospital stay for mild to moderate injuries and a 40.1% longer stay for severe injuries compared to white children in the same subgroup.

The authors of the study emphasized the importance of developing a standardized screening tool aimed at reducing unconscious bias in diagnosing non-accidental trauma across various racial and ethnic groups.

This research raises critical questions about the systemic issues contributing to these disparities in child abuse identification and calls for urgent action to address the biases that may affect the treatment and perception of minority children within the healthcare system.