Emotional abuse and neglect: time to focus on prevention and mental health consequences.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Kumari V
PROVIDER: S-EPMC7589986 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Nov
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Publications
Emotional abuse and neglect: time to focus on prevention and mental health consequences.
The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science 20201101 5
Emotional abuse and emotional neglect are among the most prevalent of childhood maltreatment types and associated with a range of poor mental health outcomes. We need to move beyond correlational research and shift our focus to sophisticated multimodal studies to fully understand the psychobiological mechanisms underlying these associations and to intervention studies. ...[more]
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Project description:BackgroundChild sexual abuse is considered a modifiable risk factor for mental disorders across the life course. However the long-term consequences of other forms of child maltreatment have not yet been systematically examined. The aim of this study was to summarise the evidence relating to the possible relationship between child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect, and subsequent mental and physical health outcomes.Methods and findingsA systematic review was conducted using the Medline, EMBASE, and PsycINFO electronic databases up to 26 June 2012. Published cohort, cross-sectional, and case-control studies that examined non-sexual child maltreatment as a risk factor for loss of health were included. All meta-analyses were based on quality-effects models. Out of 285 articles assessed for eligibility, 124 studies satisfied the pre-determined inclusion criteria for meta-analysis. Statistically significant associations were observed between physical abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect and depressive disorders (physical abuse [odds ratio (OR) = 1.54; 95% CI 1.16-2.04], emotional abuse [OR = 3.06; 95% CI 2.43-3.85], and neglect [OR = 2.11; 95% CI 1.61-2.77]); drug use (physical abuse [OR = 1.92; 95% CI 1.67-2.20], emotional abuse [OR = 1.41; 95% CI 1.11-1.79], and neglect [OR = 1.36; 95% CI 1.21-1.54]); suicide attempts (physical abuse [OR = 3.40; 95% CI 2.17-5.32], emotional abuse [OR = 3.37; 95% CI 2.44-4.67], and neglect [OR = 1.95; 95% CI 1.13-3.37]); and sexually transmitted infections and risky sexual behaviour (physical abuse [OR = 1.78; 95% CI 1.50-2.10], emotional abuse [OR = 1.75; 95% CI 1.49-2.04], and neglect [OR = 1.57; 95% CI 1.39-1.78]). Evidence for causality was assessed using Bradford Hill criteria. While suggestive evidence exists for a relationship between maltreatment and chronic diseases and lifestyle risk factors, more research is required to confirm these relationships.ConclusionsThis overview of the evidence suggests a causal relationship between non-sexual child maltreatment and a range of mental disorders, drug use, suicide attempts, sexually transmitted infections, and risky sexual behaviour. All forms of child maltreatment should be considered important risks to health with a sizeable impact on major contributors to the burden of disease in all parts of the world. The awareness of the serious long-term consequences of child maltreatment should encourage better identification of those at risk and the development of effective interventions to protect children from violence.
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Project description:BackgroundStudies have examined the interaction of MAOA genotype with childhood maltreatment in relation to depressive symptomatology and alcohol abuse with conflicting findings. Both high- and low-activity allele combinations have been shown to be protective for maltreated children with direction of findings varying by study methodology and participants' sex.MethodsParticipants in a prospective cohort design study involving court-substantiated cases of child abuse and neglect and a matched comparison group were followed up into adulthood and interviewed (N = 802). Eighty-two percent consented to provide blood, 631 gave permission for DNA extraction and analyses, and 575 were included in the final sample. This sample included male, female, white, and nonwhite (primarily black) participants. Symptoms of dysthymia, major depression, and alcohol abuse were assessed using the National Institutes of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule-III-R.ResultsSignificant three-way interactions, MAOA genotype by abuse by sex, predicted dysthymic symptoms. Low-activity MAOA genotype buffered against symptoms of dysthymia in physically abused and multiply-maltreated women. Significant three-way interactions, MAOA genotype by sexual abuse by race, predicted all outcomes. Low-activity MAOA genotype buffered against symptoms of dysthymia, major depressive disorder, and alcohol abuse for sexually abused white participants. The high-activity genotype was protective in the nonwhite sexually abused group.ConclusionsThis prospective study provides evidence that MAOA interacts with child maltreatment to predict mental health outcomes. Reasons for sex differences and race findings are discussed.
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Project description:Experience of childhood maltreatment is a major factor affecting adult mental health. The purpose of this study was to understand the association of childhood psychological abuse and neglect with mental health in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire survey was conducted from February 21 to March 12, 2020. The participants were 200 students at a university of physical education in Shaanxi Province, China. Participants completed the Child Psychological Abuse and Neglect Scale and the Mental Health Self-Report Questionnaire. Regarding childhood maltreatment experience, 52.5% of respondents screened positive for childhood psychological abuse, 55.8% for psychological neglect, and 43.6% for both. Moreover, 37.6% of participants screened positive for psychological health problems during the pandemic. Childhood psychological abuse and neglect were positively associated with mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic. A regression analysis revealed that the reproving dimension of psychological abuse was a risk factor for mental health problems in college students during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Project description:IntroductionUniversity students are at high risk for anxiety and depression. Our main objective was to tease apart variance in symptom severity that was uniquely attributable to four associated variables that are frequently confounded: exposure to childhood emotional abuse, alexithymia, sensory processing sensitivity (SPS), and anxiety sensitivity (AS).MethodsUniversity students (N = 410) completed an online survey designed to measure our four key study variables along with several other potentially relevant variables including sex, physical activity levels, and perceived COVID-19 impacts.ResultsOver half of the participants reported moderate to extremely severe symptoms of anxiety and depression. Females reported stronger signs of SPS and AS and were more likely than males to have increased their moderate/vigorous exercise since the pandemic began. After controlling for the other variables, the best predictors of perceived COVID-19 impacts were SPS, childhood emotional abuse, and current levels of physical activity. Whereas all three personality variables and childhood emotional abuse emerged as significant predictors of both depression and anxiety, neither COVID-19 impacts nor physical activity levels accounted for unique variance in either model. Unexpectedly, male sex emerged as an additional risk factor for depression, raising the possibility that males experience unique stressors and societal pressures that increase their risk of depression.DiscussionThese findings help to clarify the links between childhood emotional abuse, personality traits implicated in emotional awareness and self-regulation, and mental health. They may have important implications for the development and implementation of individualized treatments for common mental disorders.
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Project description:We assessed the US state-level budget and societal impact of implementing two child abuse and neglect (CAN) primary prevention programs. CAN cost estimates and data from two prevention programs (Child-Parent Centers and Nurse-Family Partnership) were combined with current population, cost, and CAN incidence data by US state. A cost-benefit mathematical model for each program by US state compared program costs with the future monetary value of benefits from reduced CAN. The models used a lifetime time horizon from government payer and societal perspectives. Both programs could potentially avert CAN among tens of thousands of children across the country. Lower costs from reduced CAN may substantially offset, but not always entirely eliminate, payers' program implementation cost. Results are sensitive to the rate of CAN in each US state. Given the considerable lifetime societal cost of CAN, including victims' lost work productivity, the programs were cost saving from the societal perspective in all US states using base case methods. This analysis represents an overall minimum return on payers' investment because averted CAN is just one of many positive health and educational outcomes associated with these programs and non-monetary benefits from reduced CAN were not included. Translating cost and effectiveness research on injury prevention programs for local conditions might increase decision makers' adoption of effective programs.
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Project description:IntroductionEmotional neglect means that the child's emotional and developmental needs are not fulfilled by the parents or other caregivers. Adverse childhood events (ACEs) are a risk factor for mental health problems and impaired parenting skills. The objective here was to examine whether parents' ACEs increase the child's risk of experiencing emotional neglect.MethodsThe participants in the present study were members of the Northern Finland Birth Cohort 1986 (NFBC1986). Emotional neglect experiences were measured in 190 members of this cohort by means of the Trauma and Distress Scale (TADS), and ACEs in both parents were measured with a specific questionnaire. A linear regression model was used to examine the association between parents' ACEs and the children's emotional neglect scores.ResultsThe children's mean emotional neglect score was 8.11 on a scale from 5 to 25. There was no significant difference between males (mean 8.01) and females (mean 8.19). Only father's ACEs were associated with child's emotional neglect score. In the linear regression model, the children's emotional neglect scores increased by 0.3 points for father's ACE.ConclusionsOur findings suggest that father's ACEs may increase the child's risk of experiencing emotional neglect. It seems that childhood adversities are transferred from parents to children, but larger samples would be needed to confirm these findings.
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Project description:IntroductionChild abuse and neglect (CAN) poses significant risks, causing severe and long-lasting effects on a child's well-being, including physical and mental health and learning and socializing capabilities. Oral health practitioners (OHPs) uniquely position themselves to identify signs of maltreatment in the orofacial area, offer appropriate support, and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team. The literature has shown that OHPs under-report child protection concerns to a statutory child protection agency. Responding to CAN is often hindered by various factors, such as the fear of making false accusations and insufficient knowledge to detect and report potential cases. However, the literature lacks a comprehensive understanding of the strategies and interventions that can address the responsiveness of OHPs and other professionals to child protection issues. This scoping review aims to provide a broad overview and map the literature on the existing approaches to enhance the responsiveness of OHPs in child protection.Materials and methodsThe proposed scoping review will be conducted following the JBI methodology for scoping reviews guideline and reported using the PRISMA-ScR guideline. The first exploratory search is conducted to refine the search strategy and inclusion and exclusion criteria. The second search will include MEDLINE (EBSCO), CINAHL (EBSCO), Dentistry & Oral Science Source (EBSCO), Cochrane Library, and Scopus, with a date range from January 2000 to March 2023. The third search will involve reference list searching and gray literature searching in Google and Google Scholar. Government and international health organizations' websites will be searched for policies and guidelines. The review will consider studies that report the current approaches to address OHPs' responsiveness to CAN in any setting. Two reviewers will independently select sources and extract data. Any disagreements will be resolved by consensus of the research team. The extracted data will be presented in a tabulated chart with a narrative summary.
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