title: Child abuse and autonomic nervous system hyporesponsivity among psychiatrically impaired children.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Sexually or physically abused children are at risk for neurobiological dysregulation as well as for internalizing and disruptive behavior disorders. Stress-related autonomic nervous system (ANS) down-regulation has been proposed as a sequela of abuse and was investigated in the present study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Child Protective Services documented incidents of abuse were recorded for children in a sample of 262 pediatric psychiatric inpatients, as well as demographic, physical and intellectual functioning, and diagnostic and medication prescription data. Before and after a mildly stressful blood draw, noninvasive assessments of ANS activity were obtained.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Controlling for all other variables in logistic regression analyses, a history of physical abuse (45% overall prevalence) was associated with poststressor ANS hyporesponsivity (i.e., heart rate deceleration).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that a history of physical (but not sexual) abuse is associated with stressor-related ANS down-regulation in psychiatrically impaired children and adolescents.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Stressor-related autonomic hyporesponsivity secondary to physical abuse may contribute to the impairment of severely emotionally disturbed children. Differential diagnosis of psychiatrically impaired children should include identification of those who have a history of physical abuse, and their treatment should address stressor-related hyporeactivity.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Julian D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Ford
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Lisa A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Fraleigh
authors.affiliation: University of Hartford, West Hartford, CT, USA.
authors.forename: David B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Albert
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut Health Center, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Farmington, CT, USA.
authors.forename: Daniel F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Connor
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001341:Autonomic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D015995:Prevalence