According to a recently released study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, many pediatricians may be more likely to suspect domestic abuse in children from a low-income family than those from higher-income families. The research did find, though, that the race of the child doesn't appear to affect doctor's opinions.

The research, while inconclusive, does point to the stereotypes of many who feel that child abuse and domestic violence doesn't happen in affluent families, and that abuse is more readily suspected among the lower class.

The findings are based on a survey of pediatricians, who were given a fictional case report of a toddler with a leg fracture. The study surveyed 2,100 U.S. pediatricians who responded to one of four hypothetical situations. Each of the cases involved an 18-month-old with an "ambiguous" leg fracture, which could have been caused by abuse or some sort of accident. The only difference between the scenarios was the child's race and the family's financial situation.

Race apparently did not affect the doctors' responses very much, but the financial or economic situation of the parents did seem to affect responses. When the child's family was described as lower-income, 48 percent of the doctors felt there had been abuse, and when the parents were described as higher-income, 43 percent felt there had been abuse.

The finding regarding race was a bit surprising to the researchers, since studies on actual cases has shown that minority children are more likely to be evaluated for abuse than white children. In addition, the child welfare system is known to support a disproportionate number of minority children.

The lead researcher in the study, who is also a pediatrician, said that there is strong evidence that patients are handled differently based on their race. The reasons for this, though, are not yet clear.

Source: Reuters, "Docs more likely to suspect abuse in poor kids," Amy Norton, January 20, 2012.