REPETITIVE POISONING IN CHILDREN: A PSYCHOSOCIAL STUDY

Abstract

The families of 20 poison repeaters, 19 single ingestors, and 13 controls were studied. Social class, religious affiliation, income, geographic setting, and family size do not seem to be correlated with repeated episodes of poisoning in children. The present study indicates that repetitive poisoning in children is not related to accident proneness, pica, environmental hazard, or lack of parental supervision. Ingestion of poisons seems to be the result of purposeful behavior on the part of the child. Correlated with this behavior, especially in the case of the poison repeater, are: hyperactivity negativism and other behaviroal problems of the child, limited parent-child, relationship, marital tesnion, and a tense and distant family atmosphere. The first ingegestion may be the result of the child''s negativism, imitation of the parent''s pill-taking, or confusion with food and is rarely the result of chance alone. Subsequent ingestions seem to be inappropriate methods the child uses to gain more relatedness with his parents or to express anger or negativism. The physician''s role in poison prevention should be to help parents of preschool children establish a cautious but confident attitude toward childhood poisoning and to realize that childhood poisoning may indicate family psychopathology which may require treatment.