Mistreatment of Children with Down’s Syndrome: Risk and Protective Factors

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyze the epidemiological behavior of the prevalence and risk and protective factors of maltreatment in families of children with Down syndrome attending at Fe Foundation in Bogota city in 2005. Under a descriptive design of analytical prevalence, 74 children between 5 and 15 years old were randomly selected. The instrument applied was the Questionnaire of Maltreatment Assessment for Disabled Children (Verdugo, Gutierrez, Strong & Elices, 1993).The instrument was applied to professionals and supplemented with clinical and educational histories. Regarding the analysis, confidence intervals of 95% were constructed. Besides, differences were tested by Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal -Wallis and Friedman. The risk ratio was assessed with Odds ratio and X2, based on a p ≤ 0.05. It can be concluded that the effective prevalence of maltreatment is proportionally lower in children with Down syndrome. However, there is a high prevalence of risk factors and indirect indicators of maltreatment and neglect, which configure a passive-aggressive interaction style between parents -or caregivers- and children with disability. So, it is necessary to carry out intense actions in order to prevent maltreatment and promote a healthy coexistence.

Keywords

• disability
• Down syndrome
• child maltreatment
• violence
• risk factors