Child abuse. Its relationship to birthweight, apgar score, and developmental testing.

Fifty-two abused and 23 nonabused children from a low socioeconomic group were studied with respect to birthweight, five-minute Apgar score, and developmental quotients. An association was found between low Apgar scores, low birthweight, poor performance on developmental testing, and child abuse. Furthermore, it was found that among children with normal birthweights, abused children tended to have lower Apgar scores and significantly lower developmental quotients. This study suggests that among this group of children, abuse and subsequent poor performance may be related not only to the socioeconomic status of the children but also to the characteristics the child brings to the parent-child relationship and to the abusive environment.