TRIGGER WARNING: This post contains information about domestic violence, which may be triggering to some.
Around the world, people are stressed out as the coronavirus spreads and many are quarantined in their home. Hospitals are overcrowded trying to treat those with the life-threatening virus, and one hospital's officials have said it's also seen an increase in kids needing hospitalization. Not due to coronavirus itself, but because of severe abuse that doctors fear is related to stress caregivers are experiencing over the disease.
According to doctors at Cook Children’s Hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, they’ve received seven patients, all younger than 4 years old, in just one week who have been abused. They announced Sunday that two of those young patients died from their injuries.
The hospital's doctors noted they were expecting to see some rise in abuse cases, sadly, but the reality has been far worse than they anticipated.
“We knew an increase in abuse was going to occur, but this happened faster than we ever imagined,” said Christi Thornhill, director of the Trauma Program, the CARE team and Fostering Health at Cook Children’s Hospital. “I mean this happened in a week and these are really bad abuse cases."
CBS DFW reports doctors usually see this number of cases in one year, not a week, and they believe it’s related to stress.
With the COVID-19 virus having people quarantined at home, a parent out of work, and businesses closed, experts say the stress from all this is taking a toll on people.
“We usually only average six deaths from abuse a year at Cook Children’s and now we’ve had two children die on the same day,” Jamye Coffman, medical director of the Cook Children’s Center for Prevention and Child Abuse and Neglect and the CARE team, told the news station. “This is an issue related to stress. We are seeing it from all over from urban areas to more rural counties.”
No further information was released about the two children who died or the other five who remain in the hospital.
“Stress is not an excuse for abusing your child, but rather we hope that caregivers can recognize their stress and ask for help rather than accelerate dangerous behaviors, and that others can recognize and intervene as well,” Coffman said.
The Cook Children’s Hospital doctor offered some advice to parents who may be feeling stressed while at home with their kids.
“Most of us know family members or neighbors we can reach out to when we know that maybe this is high stress situation,” Coffman said. “I think just maintaining some human connection is extremely important so people don’t feel isolated or people don’t feel as alone, which may reduce some of the anxiety and frustration. It may even be a phone call to somebody to say, ‘I’m having a hard time’ or even ‘My kids are driving me nuts.’”
Coffman added that feeling stress is normal, but she urged parents to reach out and ask for help and advice when they feel frustrated.
The Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline is available 24/7 to aid in child abuse situations. It's available for both those who want to report abuse as well as those afraid they might abuse a child. Call (800) 422-4453 or text (800) 422-4453.
