Pediatricians are seeing a hike in child abuse reports in their clinics, mostly in infants, which are believed to have something to do with the nation's recent economic woes. Data have shown that the number of child abuse cases increased sharply, rising from about 9 cases per 100,000 children in pre-recession years, to almost 15 per 100,000 kids during the recession, a 65 percent increase. Researchers said that the figure also echoes a sociological research, linking violence to declines in economic well-being. According to the study, which examined medical records and national labor statistics during the time between 2004 and 2007, among the 422 children diagnosed with abusive head trauma during the study, around 65 cases occurred each year before the recession, and the number climbed to about 108 yearly during the recession. Even though the research doesn't prove that recession caused the abuse, some pediatricians believe that economic stresses may have somehow contributed to the increase of child abuse cases in disadvantaged families.