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Clinic for Pediatric Surgery, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology and Reanimatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
Clinic for Pediatric Surgery, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Pediatric Surgery, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka , Rijeka , Croatia
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Department of Pediatric Surgery, Clinical Hospital Centre Rijeka , Rijeka , Croatia
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Clinic for Pediatric Surgery, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
Clinic of Pediatrics, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
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Department of Surgery and Anesthesiology and Reanimatology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Nis , Niš , Serbia
Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
Clinic for Anesthesiology and Intensive Therapy, University Clinical Center Niš , Niš , Serbia
Violence against children is a complex socio-medical phenomenon with potential lifetime consequences. Therefore, it is very important to recognize the first signs of violence, as medical staff are quite often the only witnesses of child maltreatment. The objective was to determine types of abuse and neglect in the pediatric population, which children are most susceptible to abuse and neglect, the kinds and severity of injuries, and the required management. A retrospective study was conducted on all patients admitted to two different hospitals due to suspicion of abuse and neglect, with the involvement of a social worker, over a 6-year period. This study included 473 patients; their average age was 8.03 ± 6.01 years; the majority of children were aged 0 to 3 years (35.0%), and 67.2% were boys. Of them, 82.4% were hospitalized because of injuries and other medical conditions caused by neglect. A total of 17.6% were hospitalized due to suspected abuse: peer violence was present in 59.3% of the cases, 22.1% of the children were abused by their parents, and the least number of patients were abused by unknown persons, 18.6%. Minor injuries were present in 55.39% of the cases. In total, 232 children underwent surgical treatment due to injuries from abuse or neglect. The majority of children were neglected, not abused, and among the abused children peer violence was predominant. The most susceptibile to neglect and abuse were the youngest members of the pediatric population.
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