THE children, especially in first months of life, they should be “handled with care”. Yet, faced with a desperate and persistent crying, a parent often becomes anxious and the actions taken to calm him or her can turn out to be not only wrong, but absolutely harmful. This is the case of the so-called Shaken Baby Syndrome. But what does it consist of and why is it so risky for children?
Shaken baby syndrome: what is it
The “Shaken Baby Syndrome”or shaken baby syndrome, is one serious form of physical abuseoften unconscious and involuntary, which occurs when a newborn or infant is shaken violently by the caregiver, as a reaction to his inconsolable crying. «And yet the crying it is the language used by the newborn to attract attention of parents about their needs, but in some cases it can trigger a sense of disorientation and discomfort in the caregiver compared to the ability to solve the problem, which gradually feed a sense of anxiety, frustration, even real angerdue to the impossibility of putting an end to an event that is, in fact, stressful and no longer bearable”, explains the Professor Marcello LanariDirector of Pediatrics atIRCCS Policlinico di Sant’Orsola in Bologna and Professor of Pediatrics at the Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences ofUniversity of Bologna.
Children: why they shouldn’t be shaken
According to the data provided by Terre de Hommeswho published the first dossier on the matterthe scientific literature supports that 1 in 4 cases of shaking leads to death or coma of the child and in 2 out of 3 cases cause permanent damage. Despite the serious, potentially lethal consequences, in Italy the syndrome is still little known and difficult to diagnose. “There first investigation on the cases of girls and boys victims of shaken baby syndrome in Italy represents a significant step forward not only in knowledge of the phenomenonbut also in construction of a protection system and sustainable prevention. Awareness is the first step in promoting new sensitivities and greater responsibility educational and cultural training of professionals, strengthening networking and the diffusion of a universal language”, he states Carla GarlattiAuthority for children and adolescents.
The anatomy of the child
«The Anglo-Saxon term “Child abuse” includes numerous other types of violence and abuse. It must be underlined, however, that behind the shaken baby very often there is no awareness or will to harm even seriously. Mostly the parent ignores a series of elements typical of those ages. First of all that the child’s head is proportionally larger and heavier than the rest of the body compared to the adult and the neck muscles at that time of development are noticeably less robust. With this disproportion, a child shaken by an adult understands how he can suffer considerable damage”, warns Professor Lanari.
What consequences
«Sant’Orsola is the metropolitan reference for violence and abuse of minors by age. From our experience it appears that some cases of shaken baby syndrome are overlooked while, depending on the entity of the shaking, a third have no particular outcomes, less than a third die And the remainder has distant consequences of a neurosensory nature, such as hearing and vision damage and/or motor or cognitive deficits. First of all, to prevent these episodes, it is therefore essential to inform parents of the child’s needs, his sleep-wake and eating rhythms and to underline that a crying child should absolutely not be shaken, but the cause of the crying should be sought and cuddled», underlines the expert.
Prevent already during pregnancy
The Terre de Hommes investigation also identified some characteristics of the families of origin of the victims. Although Shaken Baby Syndrome has no social, economic or cultural barriers, the data reveal that the majority of families involved (33 out of 47) presents problematic. An example is social marginality, violence, addiction, delinquency, mental pathology, especially maternal or organic depression and these are often groups already known to the Judicial Authority and taken care of by the Social Services network.
Inform parents
«It’s a job that needs to be done first, already during pregnancy. It is necessary to intercept families at risk and mothers who will potentially be subject, for example, to social isolation, economic difficulties, substance abuse, parental inadequacy, postpartum depression or at least to risk of excessive emotional burden. Also thanks to the help of Territorial Services, we need to create a support network around these families and act before it is too late”, concludes Professor Lanari.
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