Demographic and clinical features of child abuse and neglect cases

The aim of this study was to present child abuse and neglect (CAN) cases of the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine. The charts of all the patients seen at the Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Clinic between 2000 and 2004 were screened regarding the presence of CAN. The mean age of the children was 10.9 years. The offender was generally an extra-familial acquaintance (40.7%). The most common type of abuse was sexual (77.8%) and the most common associated types of abuse were physical and sexual (7.4%). Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) was observed as the most common psychiatric diagnosis (22.2%). Abuse types in relation to age and gender of abused child, risk factors and associated psychopathologies are discussed. Issues related to legislative process and ecology of the abuse experience are mentioned as restrictions for the prevention and treatment of CAN.