- We chose to talk about the shaken baby syndrome and share information through an Instagram page. We chose IG because it is a popular social media platform. We have different posts talking about different parts of shaken baby syndrome.
- https://www.instagram.com/shaken_baby_syndrom/ (Instagram page)
- Explain shaken baby syndrome
Shaken baby syndrome also known as shaking impact syndrome, or shaken child syndrome is a form of child abuse afflicted onto an infant ranging from 1-2 years old (Iov, David, Damian, Knieling, Diac, Tabian & Bulgaru-Iliescu, 2018).
The youngest victims fall around the time of birth to 2 years of age (Iov, David, et al., 2018). The act of SBS is violently shaking your baby repeatedly (Iov,David, et al., 2018). A shake that possesses a certain amount of power can inflict death upon a child (Iov, David, et al., 2018).
- Why is it an issue
Shaken baby syndrome is an issue because like said before, it is a form of child abuse. Children impacted can suffer long term neurological damages in their life, like eye problems, and possible death (Iov, David, et al., 2018). Compared to the rest of the body, the head of an infant is heavier, and the muscles that hold the head up in the neck are weak during this time frame (Iov, David, et al., 2018). Shaking the infant will result in complications during the brain’s development. (Iov, David, et al., 2018).
- Who is at risk
Most cases of shaken baby syndrome happen to babies and toddlers younger than two years old (Iov, David, et al., 2018). Rarely, it can happen to children older than 5 years old However, cases where children of up to 7 years of age have also been reported (Iov, David, et al., 2018).
It can happen to boys or girls in any family (Iov, David, et al., 2018).
Children who have special needs or health problems that result in them to cry a lot are at a higher risk for SBS.
- Cause of injuries
- Use of force to shake a child
- Use of force to throw or drop a child on purpose
- Hits the child’s head or necks against an object (like the floor or furniture) or hits the child’s head or neck with an object
- Violently shaking the child from the arms, legs, chest or shoulders and creating a repeated “flexion-extension” movement of the head (Iov, David, et al., 2018)
- Non-impact trauma from a whiplash motion with repeated shaking that includes intensity of both increase and decrease in motions that repeatedly snap the child’s head back and forth (Iov, David, et al., 2018)
- Signs and symptoms
- Lethargy / decreased muscle tone
- Extreme irritability
- Decreased appetite, poor feeding or vomiting for no apparent reason
- Grab-type bruises on arms or chest
- No smiling or vocalization
- Poor sucking or swallowing
- Rigidity or posturing
- Difficulty breathing
- Decreased level of consciousness
- Head or forehead appears larger than usual
- Soft spot on the head appears to be bulgingInability of eyes to focus or track the movement
What happens to the brain & eyes
- Studies suggest that subdural hemorrhage, which is bleeding outside of the brain from head injuries, is not the only issue that causes neurological symptoms (Iov, David, et al., 2018). The brain parenchyma is also damaged at a cellular level when SBS is experienced. In addition to that, a brain injury known as cerebral edema makes the effects of the first brain injury worse (Iov, David, et al., 2018)
- Retinal hemorrhages (bleeding of blood vessels in the retina) occurs in about 50-90% of SBS cases. The seriousness of the retinal hemorrhages will correlate with the severity
of the subdural hemorrhage and the link between the two is found in children who have died (Iov, David, et al., 2018)
- Stats
Since the late 1970s in the US, 13% and 30% of babies were diagnosed with abusive head trauma have died from their injuries. (Dart & Cumberland, 2009)
- Nearly one million children are categorized as abused each year in the United States where physical abuse makes up 20% of the nationwide cases (Frasier,2008)
- The rate of traumatic brain injury is highest for children under the age of 4 (Frasier,2008)
- In Scotland 24.6 per 100,000 children reported had ABT less than one year of age (Frasier,2008)
- In North Carolina, 17 per 100,000 children under 2 reported ABT. If children under one were included in the report, the number would increase to 29.7 per 100,000 (Frasier,2008)
- In New Zealand, babies ranged from 14.7- 19.6 per 100,000 for inflicted AHT. However, if the children from the indigenous Polyneasian people from New Zealand were looked at as a separate group the number of babies affected by ABT was from 32-38.5% per 100,000 (Frasier,2008)
- A 1995 Gallup poll survey showed 4.4% of parents had shaken their baby that is under the age of 2 as a discipline (Frasier,2008)
- A recent study of parental discipline practices in North and South Caroline showed that in 2002, 2.6% that had children of two years and less anonymously reported that they had shaken their baby as a form of discipline (Frasier,2008)
- By using the US birth data that average about 4 million live births each year, from that a rate of 30 per 100,000 babies less than one year of age can be expected to have a base rate of 1,2000 babies suffering from abusive head trauma (Frasier,2008)
- About 25% of victims die, and 50% are known to have a neurological deficit from this form of abuse as stated in some studies (Frasier,2008)
- About 60-70% of children who survive SBS have slight or severe retardation, paralysis, tetraplegia (spinal cord injury), cerebral paralysis, convulsive disorders, and blindness (Iov, David, et al., 2018).
- Treatment/ prevention
After abusive head trauma, a child may need long-term care from a team of health experts, such as:
- brain doctors (neurology)
- brain surgeons (neurosurgery)
- eye doctors (ophthalmology)
- hormone doctors (endocrinology)
Prevention
- Social problems seen are associated with poverty, poor parenting, and failure to control anger towards an infant. A message since the 1990s is “don’t shake the baby” (Iov et al., 2018)
- Some hospitals provide informational programs to new parents for shaken baby syndrome, which include pamphlets and videos and “commitment statements” that state they won’t shake their baby. (Iov et al., 2018)
- New parent education classes can help parents better understand the dangers of violent shaking and may provide tips to calm a crying baby and manage stress. (Iov et al., 2018)
- When your crying baby can’t be calmed, you may be tempted to try anything to get the tears to stop — but it’s important to always treat your child gently. Nothing justifies shaking a child (mayoclinic, 2017)
- If you’re having trouble managing your emotions or the stress of parenthood, seek help. Your child’s doctor may offer a referral to a counselor or other mental health provider (mayoclinic, 2017)
- If other people help take care of your child — whether a hired caregiver, sibling or grandparent — make sure they know the dangers of shaken baby syndrome (mayoclinic, 2017)
Resources:
“Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome) (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth.” Edited
by Stephanie A. Deutsch, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Nov. 2019, kidshealth.org/en/parents/shaken.html.
Shibboleth Authentication Request, web-b-ebscohost-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=6d9594fd-858c-4e6d-a16a-12f0e1d1a1c1@sessionmgr101.
“Abusive Head Trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome) (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth.” Edited
by Stephanie A. Deutsch, KidsHealth, The Nemours Foundation, Nov. 2019, kidshealth.org/en/parents/shaken.html.
Dart, J., & Cumberland, S. (2009, May). Fragile brain, handle with care; Jonathan Dart and Sarah
Cumberland report on a form of child abuse that is not instantly recognizable, but the consequences can be dire in the absence of treatment, Australian doctors are trying to improve diagnosis and agree the focus must be on prevention. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 87(5), 331+. Retrieved from https://link-gale-com.ccny-proxy1.libr.ccny.cuny.edu/apps/doc/A201209747/GIC?u=cuny_ccny&sid=GIC&xid=b44cccde
Frasier, L. (2008). Abusive Head Trauma in Infants and Young Children: A Unique Contributor to
Developmental Disabilities. The Pediatric Clinics of North America, 55(6), 1269-1285.
Shaken baby syndrome. (2017, October 28). Retrieved from
Tatiana Iov, Sofia David, Simona Damian, A. Knieling, Mădălina Maria Diac, D. Tabian, & Diana Bulgaru-Iliescu. (2018). Shaken baby syndrome. Romanian Neurosurgery,32(3), Romanian Neurosurgery, 01 September 2018, Vol.32(3).
