AAP Offers Guidance to Pediatricians for Preventing Child Maltreatment
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- In a clinical report published online July 22 in Pediatrics, recommendations are provided to clarify the pediatrician's role in preventing child maltreatment and mitigating long-term sequelae.
John Stirling, M.D., a retired physician residing in San Diego, and colleagues examined the pediatrician's role in supporting relational health from infancy through adolescence to prevent maltreatment and associated long-term sequelae.
The authors note that initially and periodically throughout a patient's childhood, pediatricians should obtain a thorough social history, including family economic stressors and community conditions. Family resilience and protective factors should be identified and built upon. Maltreatment can be prevented by child and parent strength and resilience, and they can mitigate its long-term health effects. Parents' concerns should be addressed while reinforcing effective parenting. Anticipatory guidance relating to parenting challenges that may be stressful or serve as a trigger for child maltreatment should be provided. Parents should be guided in providing effective, nonphysical discipline; alternatives to corporal punishment should be encouraged. Parents should be helped to address particular problematic behaviors. With respect to children with disabilities or chronic illness, pediatricians need to be cognizant of their increased vulnerability and be aware of signs of maltreatment; in addition, they should be alert to indicators of parental intimate partner violence, unhealthy substance use, and depression. Caregivers should be encouraged to use their own health care providers as a conduit to needed care.
"Trauma-informed, family-centered pediatric care provides the tools to help pediatric health care providers prevent child maltreatment and build resilience, using anticipatory guidance and regular, attentive follow-up," the authors write.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
![](/img/logo/vendor/healthday-logo.png)
© 2024 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted July 2024
Read this next
Clinical Report Addresses Management of Sickle Cell Disease in Children, Teens
MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- Management of children and adolescents with sickle cell disease (SCD) requires comprehensive care from a pediatric primary care provider and a...
AI-Assisted Model Improves Diagnosis of Solid Lesions in Pancreas
MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- A joint artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted model integrating clinical information and endoscopic ultrasonographic (EUS) images improves diagnosis of...
Socioeconomic Factors Linked to Persistently Active Rheumatoid Arthritis
MONDAY, July 22, 2024 -- Socioeconomic factors and deprivation are associated with persistently active rheumatoid arthritis (pactiveRA), according to a study published online July...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.