Shaken Baby Syndrome

“Shaken baby syndrome” is an affliction that mostly effects babies under the age of one year (Squier, 2001, p. 519). This syndrome is frequently the result of a parent or guardian violently shaking the baby in their care usually out of anger, because they are unable to stop them from crying (Bechtel, 2011, p. 481). Reasons for shaking may also have underlying catalysts besides anger, for example, being in a household experiencing financial difficulties or addiction to drugs and alcohol, and these factors can make one more susceptible to feelings of irritation (Matschke, 2009, p. 212). It has also been seen that before the formal identification of the syndrome, Parents in western countries such as England believed that shaking their child was

Most research has found that the reason why parents or guardians shake their babies when angry is because they do not know the damage that it can cause (Fujiwara et al., 2012, p. 614). Therefore the main goal of various research is to try and find an effective way to educate them and provide alternative ways of dealing with these situations. This is due to the fat that even if parents know the risks, there is a chance that they may still resort to shaking as there is no other alternative (Russell, 2010, p. 672). Research done by Bechtel et al., (2011) found that across different cultural backgrounds in the United States, when mothers were informed that shaking their baby would hurt them, the mothers removed themselves from the stressful situation for a short period of time so as to prevent it (Bechtel et al., 2011, p.

The syndrome is characterised by sudden changes in the baby’s behaviour after being violently shaken, for example constant sleeping or seizures. Through the use of imaging techniques such as MRI’s and CT scans, physicians are now able to see how exactly shaking affects the child on a physical level by looking at the damage it causes to the brain and how this damage affects subsequent behaviour such as how retinal haemorrhages can effect sight. This essay also included how whilst the syndrome is not as common in South Africa, the use of educational materials such as PURPLE are useful in filling the knowledge gaps that people have on the syndrome in different cultural groups such as Americans and Japanese people with contrasting cultures, but this research lacked generalizability due to its lack of focus on the role of men. It was also mentioned that the effects of shaking baby syndrome are in fact so severe that they can lead to death, but if education continues to increase, more mothers will look for alternative ways to deal with their anger that are less harmful to their baby and hopefully the numbers of babies falling victim to it will