REVIEW

0F
LITERATURE
 CONCEPTUAL LITERATURE

Non-accidental injuries in children are an important cause of morbidity

and mortality in this population. Fractures are the second most
common clinical manifestation of child abuse. The fracture of the femur
is associated in more than 60% of child abuse in children younger than
3 years. The objective was to review the literature on child abuse in the
major databases and report a rare case of bilateral subtrochanteric
femur fractures associated with unilaterall humeral fracture in a 28-day
newborn. The orthopedic surgeon is often the first physician to
evaluate these children, so a high degree of suspicion, and a physical
examination and a detailed clinical history is mandatory when
evaluating a newborn with musculoskeletal injuries.
 RELATED STUDIES

The purpose of this study was to determine what are the

significant factors in child abuse and to what extent the
respective theories render a coherent and comprehensive
explanation of these factors. This study aggregated the data on
the demographic, social, economic, and psychological features
of the child abuse victim and perpetrator. Each study was
analyzed according to a methodology of review which
considered the problems involved in eliciting meaningful data
from a group of studies grounded on different assumptions and
conducted according to disparate research designs.
 CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK

The studies were compared and contrasted to determine what

factors were significantly related to child abuse. Thereafter,
both major theories of child abuse were tested against the
findings of the literature review to determine to what extent
the respective theories successfully predicted and related
significant factors in child abuse. The review of the literature
clearly established a demographic profile of the child abuse
victim and his family. The abused child is usually very young,
typically below the age of three. Neither race nor gender are
specifically related to the age of the victim. Abusing families
tend to have more than the average number of children, but
usually select only one child - frequently, the eldest or the
youngest - as the target for abuse.