Abuse and Neglect in Psychiatrically Hospitalized Multihandicapped Children

Author(s)

Robert T. Ammerman, Western Pennsylvania School for Blind ChildrenFollow
Vincent B. Van Hasselt, University of California - IrvineFollow
Michel Hersen, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
John J. McGonigle, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Martin J. Lubetsky, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Child Abuse and Neglect

ISSN

0145-2134

Publication Date

1989

Abstract

Medical charts of 150 consecutive admissions of multihandicapped children to a psychiatric hospital were examined to determine the extent and characteristics of abuse and neglect. Results indicated that 39% of the sample experienced or had a history that warranted suspicion of past and/or current maltreatment. Physical abuse was the most frequent type of maltreatment, followed by neglect and sexual abuse. Maltreated multihandicapped patients admitted to the psychiatric unit were less likely to receive diagnoses of organic brain syndrome or profound mental retardation than nonmaltreated multihandicapped counterparts on the same unit. Moreover, data indicated that less severely impaired patients were more likely to be maltreated than were the more severely impaired. Particularly striking was the severity of maltreatment in this multihandicapped sample and the relatively high percentage (40%) of sexually abused patients who were assaulted by multiple perpetrators.

DOI

10.1016/0145-2134(89)90073-2

Volume

13

Issue

3

First Page

335

Last Page

343

NSUWorks Citation

Ammerman, R. T., Van Hasselt, V. B., Hersen, M., McGonigle, J. J., Lubetsky, M. J. (1989). Abuse and Neglect in Psychiatrically Hospitalized Multihandicapped Children. Child Abuse and Neglect, 13(3), 335-343.
Available at: https://nsuworks.nova.edu/cps_facarticles/716