Washington D.C. (AHN)- Research in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health suggests small birth weight and premature birth may be associated with a higher risk of child abuse and neglect.

The findings are based on almost 120,000 children born between 1983 and 2001, who had been placed on the child protection register of one county in southeast England.

Children are placed on the register if they have already endured physical and/or emotional abuse and neglect. How long the children had been in the womb before birth (gestational age) and their weight at birth were then assessed.

The results showed that whatever the type of abuse, the lower the birth weight of the child, the more likely it was that they be placed on the child protection register.

Similarly, the shorter the gestational age, the greater the likelihood of placement on the child protection register.

The study also suggests that premature or small birth weight babies may have characteristics that make them more vulnerable to abuse, or possibly that they provoke greater parental hostility.