Trends in hospital encounters for child physical abuse through the COVID-19 pandemic

Child physical abuse did not increase early in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic as anticipated. However, abuse epidemiology has not been evaluated during later periods of the pandemic. This study's objective was to compare the volume of hospital encounters (i.e., emergency department visits and hospitalizations) for abuse and injuries concerning for abuse at 42 US children's hospitals across three pandemic periods compared with prepandemic, during January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2023. Median monthly volumes of encounters as well as child- and encounter-level characteristics for each pandemic period were compared with pre-pandemic. Hospital encounters for abuse and injuries concerning for abuse remained relatively unchanged throughout the pandemic, including during the late-pandemic period when many pandemic-related economic and relief policies had been discontinued. Hispanic children, however, accounted for an increasing proportion of cases throughout the pandemic, indicating potential emerging demographic changes in child abuse epidemiology.