The Boyfriend Effect

In the November 5th issue of Pediatrics, researchers reported some astounding statistics. They found that children residing in households with unrelated adults were nearly 50 times as likely to die of inflicted injuries than children residing with 2 biological parents.

The researchers did not find any increased risk for children living alone with a single parent. The majority of known perpetrators were male (71.2%), and most were the child's father (34.9%) or the boyfriend of the child's mother (24.2%).

In these high-risk households, the boyfriend was typically responsible for caring for the child at the time of the fatal-injury event and was the perpetrator of abuse.

Mommas, don't let your boyfriend take care of your baby. Better to not work then to let the boyfriend baby-sit. Most of these deaths came from shaking the baby's head. Nurses and social services, let's get the word out. Will social services please make a pamphlet about "The Boyfriend Effect?"

http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/full/116/5/e687