The relationships between child maltreatment and child behavior problems. Comparative study of Malawi and China

Abstract

Child maltreatment causes harm which is non-equivalent. The occurrence of child maltreatment predicts child behavior problems. Harsh parenting characterized by corporal punishment has been reported to cause internalizing and externalizing behavior problems. However, this relationship is not observed in all types of harsh child discipline. This study aimed at testing the harmful and nonequivalent assumption of child maltreatment. In this study 739 parents of three year olds were requested to fill ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (I-CAST) to assess the disciplinary methods and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) to assess child behavior problems in Malawi and China. Findings of this study demonstrate that there is a relationship between child maltreatment occurrence and child behavior outcomes. Specifically, physical discipline and psychological discipline predicted the occurrence of; emotionally reactive and the occurrence of anxious depressed in both countries. Furthermore, psychological discipline predicted the occurrence of both somatic complaints and aggressive behavior in Malawi and China and the occurrence of withdrawn in Malawi. Lastly severe physical discipline and psychological discipline predicted the occurrence of attention problems in both countries and the occurrence of both internalizing and externalizing behavior problems in Malawi. In conclusion child maltreatment causes harm. These findings raise evidence for the need for ending child maltreatment.