Abstract
ObjectiveTo estimate the prevalence of childhood maltreatment among college students in China by a systematic review and meta-analysis.MethodsA systematic search of relevant articles in Pubmed, Wanfang Data, Chinese Scientific Journals Fulltext Database (CQVIP), China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI) and China Biology Medicine disc (CBMdisc) was conducted on September 1, 2017. A random-effects model was used to estimate the pooled prevalence and sources of heterogeneity were explored using subgroup analyses.ResultsIn total, 32 studies were included in our review. The pooled prevalence of childhood maltreatment among college students was 64.7% (CI: 52.3%-75.6%). For childhood physical abuse(CPA), childhood emotional abuse(CEA), childhood sexual abuse(CSA), childhood physical neglect(CPN)and childhood emotional neglect (CEN), the pooled estimates were 17.4% (13.8%-21.3%), 36.7%(25.1%-49.1%), 15.7%(11.6%-20.2%), 54.9%(41.2%-68.1%) and 60.0% (45.0%-74.0%), respectively. Use of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) yielded a higher pooled estimate than any other measurement tools in the subgroup analyses of CPA, CEA, CSA, CPN and CEN. The Egger’s tests revealed no evidence of publication bias(P>0.05).ConclusionsChildhood maltreatment is common among college students in China. Prevention policies and programmes should be urgently developed to stop the occurrence of child maltreatment, and special attention should be paid to maltreated college students.
Highlights
Childhood maltreatment, defined as the abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18, includes physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse and neglect[1]
Childhood maltreatment is common among college students in China
Prevention policies and programmes should be urgently developed to stop the occurrence of child maltreatment, and special attention should be paid to maltreated college students
Summary
Childhood maltreatment, defined as the abuse and neglect of children under the age of 18, includes physical abuse, emotional abuse ( referred to as psychological abuse), sexual abuse and neglect[1]. In an Australian prospective birth cohort study, Abajobir and colleagues found that childhood maltreatment may predict cannabis use disorders[12], injecting drug use[13], risky sexual behaviours and pregnancy[14], high dietary fat intake[15], intimate partner violence victimization[16], lifetime delusional experiences[17] and asthma[18] in adulthood. Another longitudinal study confirmed the association between childhood maltreatment and young adulthood alcohol, tobacco as well as cannabis use[19,20]. Increased severity of childhood maltreatment strongly correlated with adverse outcomes in adulthood [8]
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