Abus, maltraitance et négligence : (1) épidémiologie et retentissements psychiques, somatiques et sociaux

Association between Hpa Axis Functioning and Mental Health in Maltreated Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

Previous studies have demonstrated that children who experience maltreatment show a more elevated risk of psychopathological disorders than children from the general population. The HPA (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal) axis is not mature at birth and undergoes strong social regulation during the first years of life. Consequently, early exposure to stress could modify the usual adaptative response to stress. In stressful situations, perturbations in both cortisol response and cortisol circadian rhythm have been observed. Nevertheless, studies that have evaluated the links between child abuse, dysregulation of the HPA axis, and mental disorders have shown diverse results. Because of the variety of methods employed in the different studies, no formal comparisons have been made. In this systematic review, we have brought together these results.

METHODS

We conducted a systematic review of studies analyzing the correlation between child abuse, mental disorders, and HPA axis activity in patients aged between 6 and 16 years. PubMed, Scopus, Cochrane, and Google Scholar were searched using relevant keywords and inclusion/exclusion criteria (from 2000 to 2020).

RESULTS

Fifteen studies from the 351 identified were included. Most patients were children in the child welfare system. Children who had experienced child abuse presented with more severe mental disorders (particularly in the dimensional measure) than children who had not been abused. HPA axis activity was assessed by measuring basal cortisol for some studies and cortisol reactivity for other studies. For children experiencing child abuse, there was a possible association between abuse and a decrease in the reactivity of the HPA axis. In addition, early life stress could be associated with lower matinal cortisol. However, the association between mental disorders and cortisol secretion in maltreated children did not seem obvious.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review demonstrates that mental disorders are more frequent and severe in cases where child abuse has occurred. Moreover, children who experienced child abuse seem to present changes in the reactivity of the HPA axis. Nevertheless, the potential correlation between these changes in the reactivity of the HPA axis and mental disorders in this population needs to be evaluated in further studies.

[Burns by immersion in children and abuse]

AIM OF THE STUDY

Ten percent of childhood burns could arise from maltreatment. While describing 6 severe cases of inflicted scalds by immersion in children, we expose our systematic diagnostic approach of abuse and confirm the serious nature of burn when they are inflicted.

PATIENTS AND METHOD

The retrospective study concerned children hospitalized for scalds by immersion between 2013 and 2016 and for whom child abuse has been confirmed. Sex, age, burns description, needs of surgery, length of stay at hospital and protection plan set up were collected.

RESULTS

Six cases of burns by immersion due to maltreatment were identified (5 boys, 1 girl) with a median age of 12 months. The average total burn surface area was 19%. Burns were of deep second and third degree and always symmetric. Every child underwent surgery at least once. Concern information was transferred for all of them.

CONCLUSION

Teams taking care of children with burns must be trained to the difficult diagnostic of abuse or neglect so that early social interventions can be set up in case of maltreatment.

Epidemiological aspects of child abuse and neglect in Sousse, Tunisia: A 10-year retrospective study

The aim of our study was to examine epidemiological aspects of child abuse and neglect in Tunisia. We conducted a retrospective and descriptive study over a period of 10 years (January 2006-December 2015), based on the files handled by the Child Protective Services (CPS) agency in the city of Sousse, Tunisia. During the study period, 3736 referrals were received by the CPS agency of Sousse. Of the total, 2212 (59.2%) were screened in and investigated. Of the investigated cases, 317 (14,3%) were substantiated as abuse or neglect. The reports of maltreatment came mostly from parents (37.8%). Neglect was the major type of maltreatment (51.4%) and an association of 2 types of maltreatment was found in 76 cases (24%). Parents were the perpetrators in 221 cases (69.7%). The average age of the victims was 10 years and boys accounted for 56%. In the 257 cases where the marital status of the parents was noted in the files, the parents were divorced in 62 cases (24.1%) and the child lived with a single mother in 35 cases (13.6%). Alcohol addiction was found in 21 parents (6.6%) and one of the parents was incarcerated in 39 cases (12.3%). As for the socio-economic status, it was evaluated in 188 families and was low in 123 cases (65.4%). In the absence of studies related to this scourge in Tunisia, we hope to raise awareness of the abuse and alert those who come into contact with the child on the importance of detecting and reporting early maltreatment and thus to introduce more appropriate care. A comprehensive prevention strategy needs to be established by addressing risk factors, cultural norms conducive to abuse and unwanted pregnancies.

[Scar revision in children: Clinical situations and solutions]

The scar of soft tissues is a permanent stigma of a trauma but it can sometimes be improved. It is more or less accepted by the patient and may be the source of a significant physical and psychosocial impact that leads to a request for a scar revision. Even if the child presents generally an excellent ability to heal, the quality of the scar depends on many factors such as the age, the type of scar or trauma and the affected body area. Thus, its aesthetic impact, functional but also on the growth of the child will be different. Moreover, these scars have a number of origins: neonatal surgery, natural history of congenital lesions or after a surgical management; surgeries for orthopedic, cardiac, craniofacial or hand birth defects and congenital malformations; or infectious or traumatic as in the case of burns and animal bites. We have many ways to try to correct or improve these scars, which use all the plastic surgery techniques. However, we need to establish for each case an appropriate management strategy with the objective of not inducing additional sequelae, respecting the growth of the child. Several techniques can be combined and the chronology of the surgical procedures must consider the school, social and family integration of the child.

A Systematic Review of the Evidence for Impaired Cognitive Theory of Mind in Maltreated Children

Compared to the large number of studies exploring difficulties in emotion recognition in maltreated children, few (N = 12) have explored the cognitive aspect of theory of mind (ToM), i.e., the ability to understand others' thoughts and intentions. A systematic review of these studies shows inconsistent results regarding cognitive ToM tasks. Youths with a history of maltreatment are more likely to fail at false-belief tasks (N = 2). However, results are less conclusive regarding other tasks (perspective-taking tasks, N = 4; and hostile attribution tasks, N = 7). Additionally, only one study controlled for potential psychopathology. Measures of psychopathology and other cognitive abilities, in addition to ToM, are required to establish a specific association between maltreatment and the cognitive dimension of ToM.