General Warning Signs of Abuse

• Delay in seeking treatment for injuries, minimizing injuries
• History of being accident prone
• Pattern of injuries not accidental looking, for example, identical burns on bottom of feet, identical injuries on both sides of head
• Multiple injuries in varying stages of healing
• Conflicting stories from victim and abuser about cause of injury
• Inconsistency between history and injury
• Unusual, even bizarre explanation for injuries
• Repeated visits to emergency rooms or clinics
• Previous report of abuse
• Patient reporting abuse
• Patient fearful of caregiver or partner
• Visits variety of doctors, emergency rooms for treatment