Malingering-by-proxy: need for child protection and guidance for reporting

Authors:
CHAFETZ Michael, DUFRENE Melissa
Journal article citation:
Child Abuse and Neglect, 38(11), 2014, pp.1755-1765.
Publisher:
Elsevier

The feigning of disabling illness for compensation at the direction or pressure by others is called malingering by proxy (MBP). Chafetz and Prentkowski (2011) suggested that MBP has the potential for real harm to the child. In a poster at the AACN scientific session in 2011, Chafetz and Binder (2011) pursued a case of MBP that showed the child had clearly suffered and failed to progress in the 6 years that had passed since she was first evaluated as an 11 year old. This article identifies three cases that compare and contrast effects of MBP, illustrating that child abuse and/or neglect can be a serious and reportable consequence of MBP behaviour. To illustrate how MBP behaviour can cause child abuse, we compare MBP behaviour with Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSBP), another condition of volitional noncredible behaviour produced in a vulnerable person at the direction or pressure by others. Guidance criteria for reporting MBP as child abuse/neglect are introduced in this article. (Edited publisher abstract)

Subject terms:
child protection, child abuse, child neglect, fabricated or induced illness;
Link:
Journal home page
ISSN print:
0145-2134

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