In France, the majority of cases of shaken babies take place either at home or with a childminder.
- Shaken baby syndrome appears in 98.5% of cases at the family home or at the childminder’s.
- The Health Insurance estimates that there would be a hundred cases each year, unfortunately, the figures cannot be more precise, faults in diagnosis or reporting.
- Shaking a baby causes head trauma which can lead to behavioral problems, psychomotor development and even paralysis.
Shaken baby syndrome is the result of abuse: it is a head injury caused by violent shaking inflicted on a child. I’Health Insurance estimates that several hundred cases occur each year in France, even if it is difficult to obtain clear data because this violence is not always reported or diagnosed. Teams from AP-HP, Inserm and Paris-Saclay University conducted a research to better understand where they are taking place. In the magazine Pediatricsthey indicate that the majority of cases are recorded in private homes.
Extremely rare cases in nursery
These scientists focused their research on childcare. A total of 323 court files corresponding to shaken baby cases were analyzed. The child victims were aged between two and a half months and three years: in France, the High Authority of Health estimates that the majority of cases are in infants under one year of age. In this study, each diagnosis of the syndrome was made by a pediatrician and then confirmed by a forensic expert. In 98.5% of cases, the child was shaken in a private home: that is to say either in his family home or with a maternal assistance. The researchers found only one case of a shaken baby that occurred in the nursery. 19.5% of children are cared for in these structures in France.
Serious consequences for the child
This abuse occurs when the person in charge of the child, exasperated by repeated crying, shakes him. Health insurance specifies that they are often repeated over time, but this increases the risk of aggravation of brain damage. The head trauma caused by this violence can lead to disorders of psychomotor development, behavior, paralysis and visual impairment.
How can this violence be prevented?
In 2017, the French National Authority for Health updated its recommendations for the prevention of shaken baby syndrome. She advises carrying out awareness campaigns with the message: “SIf you can’t take it anymore, ask for help”. For the scientific team behind this recent study, these statistical data will precisely make it possible to improve prevention, in particular in the context of the Covid-19 epidemic. “The recent containment measures linked to the health situation give this observation a major dimension., say the researchers. If you feel in difficulty, at the end of your tether, it is important to talk about it to the pediatrician or your doctor, and in case of emergency, you must call 119, childhood professionals will answer you.
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