In Bradley, Steven Brent Lee, 30 years-old, was arrested and is charged with beating toddler, Caleb Walden. Caleb is 22 months-old. He has sustained a fractured arm, concussion and contusions about the face and body. Doctors had to perform surgery on the fractured arm. Caleb’s grandmother brought him to SkyRidge Medical Center emergency department last Thursday, September 18, 2008. Lee was arrested that evening. Physical examination revealed that the child had prior beatings over the past few weeks.
There is an interaction of multiple risk factors in the environment that place children at risk to be victims of abuse. Researchers have identified abusive parents or caregivers as having risk factors such as substance abuse, low self-esteem, mental or physical disability, depression, history of abuse as a child, poor coping skills, poor impulse control, history of violent behavior or history of being raised in a group setting with no positive parental role. All children are potential victims of child abuse, but some factors increase the risk for a child to be abused.
