Supervision, Safety, and Caregiving

In a controversial study entitled,  “Household Composition and Fatal Unintentional Injuries Related to Child Maltreatment,” Bernard G. Ewigman, professor and chairman of the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Chicago found that children living in households with unrelated adults are six times more likely to die of maltreatment-related unintentional injuries, and two times more likely to die when living with foster or step-parents as compared to children living with either one or two of their biological parents.  The study further revealed that unintentional deaths to children age five and under occurred when the adult caregiver was either not present, was present but did not adequately protect the child, placed the child to sleep in an unsafe environment, or didn't use legally required safety devices. You can read more here.

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