Dataset Information

Violence against children, later victimisation, and mental health: a cross-sectional study of the general Norwegian population.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Violence in childhood is associated with mental health problems and risk of revictimisation. Less is known about the relative importance of the various types of childhood and adult victimisation for adult mental health.

Objective

To estimate the associations between various types of childhood and adult violence exposure, and their combined associations to adult mental health.

Method

This study was a cross-sectional telephone survey of the Norwegian adult population; 2,435 women and 2,092 men aged 18-75 participated (19.3% of those we tried to call and 42.9% of those who answered the phone). The interview comprised a broad array of violence exposure in both childhood and adulthood. Anxiety/depression was measured by the Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL-10).

Results

Victimisation was commonly reported, for example, child sexual abuse (women: 10.2%, men: 3.5%), childhood-parental physical violence (women: 4.9%, men: 5.1%), and lifetime forcible rape (women: 9.4%, men: 1.1%). All categories of childhood violence were significantly associated with adult victimisation, with a 2.2-5.0 times higher occurrence in exposed children (p<0.05 for all associations). Anxiety/depression (HSCL-10) associated with adult abuse increased with the number of childhood violence categories experienced (p<0.001). All combinations of childhood violence were significantly associated with anxiety/depression (p<0.001 for all associations). Individuals reporting psychological violence/neglect had the highest levels of anxiety/depression.

Conclusions

RESULTS should be interpreted in light of the low response rate. Childhood violence in all its forms was a risk factor for victimisation in adulthood. Adult anxiety/depression was associated with both the number of violence categories and the type of childhood violence experienced. A broad assessment of childhood and adult violence exposure is necessary both for research and prevention purposes. Psychological violence and neglect should receive more research attention, especially in combination with other types of violence.

SUBMITTER: Thoresen S

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4296052 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Violence against children, later victimisation, and mental health: a cross-sectional study of the general Norwegian population.

Thoresen Siri S Myhre Mia M Wentzel-Larsen Tore T Aakvaag Helene Flood HF Hjemdal Ole Kristian OK

European journal of psychotraumatology 20150113

<h4>Background</h4>Violence in childhood is associated with mental health problems and risk of revictimisation. Less is known about the relative importance of the various types of childhood and adult victimisation for adult mental health.<h4>Objective</h4>To estimate the associations between various types of childhood and adult violence exposure, and their combined associations to adult mental health.<h4>Method</h4>This study was a cross-sectional telephone survey of the Norwegian adult populati ...[more]

PMID: 25591729

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Project description:ObjectivesTo estimate the prevalence of domestic violence, with subgroups of physical, sexual and emotional violence, among men and women and to assess the association between any lifetime domestic violence (DV) and mental distress among ever-married men and women.DesignWe conducted a cross-sectional study from October to November 2016 using a multistage sampling design. DV questionnaire was adopted from the Demographic and Health Survey programme. Mental distress was estimated using the Hopkins Symptom Checklist-10 (HSCL-10). HSCL-score and DV were the outcome and exposure variables, respectively, in multiple linear regression. Prevalence estimates and associations were presented with a 95% CI and the Wald test.SettingUrban and rural areas of the Yangon region, Myanmar.ParticipantsMen and women ages 18 to 49 years were included. Institutionalised people, monks, nuns and individuals deemed too ill physically and/or mentally to participate were excluded.ResultsA random sample of 2383 people was included in the analyses. Among ever-married participants, lifetime (LT) and past-12-month (12M) prevalence of any domestic violence victimisation was higher in women compared with men: LT women: 61.8% (95% CI: 54.3 to 68.9) versus LT men: 42.4% (95% CI: 37.5 to 47.5) and 12M women: 51.2% (95% CI: 44.9 to 57.5) versus 12M men: 37.7% (95% CI: 32.9 to 42.7). Among never-married participants, lifetime physical and sexual violence victimisation rates was higher in men (34.3% and 7.9%) compared with women (19.1% and 6.4%). Mental distress was significantly associated with lifetime DV in women who were afraid of their husbands and men who had wives who exhibited controlling behaviours.ConclusionsDomestic violence is prevalent among both men and women and is associated with mental distress. The findings highlight an urgent need to prevent domestic violence in both sexes, including through legal and policy reform and improved mental health services for DV victims.

Project description:Background: A growing body of evidence from high-income contexts suggests a strong association between sexual violence victimisation and self-harm and eventual suicide. However, both sexual violence and self-harm among adolescents are still less researched in sub-Saharan African countries, including Ghana. Objectives: To estimate the 12-month prevalence of self-harm, and to describe the associated factors and reported reasons for self-harm among school-going adolescent survivors of sexual violence victimisation during the previous 12 months in urban Ghana. Methods: Analytic data came from a regional-based representative cross-sectional survey including in-school youth (N = 1,723) conducted in 2017 within the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Of these, 297 (17.2%) self-reported sexual violence victimisation in the previous 12 months; this proportion of the participants (n = 297) was the focus of the current study. Items measuring sexual violence victimisation, self-harm, and correlates were adopted from the 2012 Ghana WHO-Global School-based Student Health Survey and the Child and Adolescent Self-harm in Europe Study. Data analysis involved multivariable logistic regression models. Results: The estimate of self-harm ideation during the previous 12 months was 45.8% (95% CI: 40-52), whereas the estimate of self-harm behaviour was 38.7% (95% CI: 33-44). About two in five of the participants who reported self-harm wanted to die by their last episode of the behaviour. While bullying victimisation was associated with increased odds of self-harm ideation (aOR = 1.97, 95% CI 1.17, 3.31, p = 0.010) and behaviour (aOR = 2.76, 95% CI 1.59, 4.80, p < 0.001), weekly alcohol use (aOR = 2.56, 95% CI 1.32, 4.93, p = 0.005), conflict with parents (aOR = 2.30, 95% CI 1.28, 4.12, p = 0.005), and physical abuse victimisation (aOR = 1.80, 95% CI 1.03, 3.15, p = 0.037) showed strong associations with increased odds of self-harm behaviour in the past 12 months. Conclusions: The evidence underscores the need for both universal and targeted multi-level intervention and prevention programmes to mitigate the offence of sexual violence and reduce the chances of self-harm among adolescent survivors of sexual violence in urban Ghana.

Dataset Information

Violence against children, later victimisation, and mental health: a cross-sectional study of the general Norwegian population.

Background

Objective

Method

Results

Conclusions

Publications

Violence against children, later victimisation, and mental health: a cross-sectional study of the general Norwegian population.

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