Childhood Physical Abuse Research Articles

Perceived Community Belonging as a Moderator: Effects of Childhood Abuse on Health and Well-Being Among Middle-Aged and Older Canadians

ABSTRACT This study examined the moderating role of perceived community belonging in the relationship between childhood abuse and health and well-being outcomes among Canadian individuals aged 55 and older. Using data from the 2014 Canadian General Social Survey (n = 14,416), multiple linear regression models revealed that women who experienced either childhood physical or sexual abuse reported poorer self-rated general and mental health, as well as lower life satisfaction, compared to those without such histories. The most pronounced effects were observed among women who experienced both types of abuse. For men, a similar pattern was evident only for those who experienced childhood physical abuse. Notably, among women, a strong sense of community belonging lessened the negative effects of both types of childhood abuse on all examined outcomes. These findings underscore the protective role of perceived community belonging against the consequences of childhood abuse for older women. They illuminate the crucial role of gerontological social workers and scholars in promoting community integration and support. Focusing on these areas, especially for those with traumatic histories, can potentially improve their overall health and well-being.

Social determinants of mental health in major depressive disorder: Umbrella review of 26 meta-analyses and systematic reviews

There is a growing recognition of the impact of social determinants of mental health (SDoMHs) on people with, or at risk of, developing serious mental illnesses. Yet it is not known how associations of individual SDoMHs with risk for major depressive disorder (MDD) vary and roughly compare with one another. Following PRISMA guidelines, this umbrella review included 26 meta-analyses and systematic reviews that reported odds ratios, effect sizes, and/or pooled prevalence rates of MDD in samples with versus without specified SDoMHs. Childhood emotional, physical, or sexual abuse and neglect; intimate partner violence in females; and food insecurity were significantly associated with increased risk of MDD, with medium effect sizes. Natural disasters, terrorist acts, and military combat during deployment had small-size adverse effects, and homelessness, incarceration, and migration were associated with significantly elevated prevalence of MDD. Conversely, higher levels of parental care were significantly associated with reduced risk of MDD with medium effect sizes. Evidence supports the use of certain interventions at the individual and community level that can reduce the impact of these factors and promote health, although much more research is warranted in this area along with meaningful healthcare and societal policies to accomplish this goal.

Incidence and correlates of suicide attempts in adolescents with major depressive versus bipolar disorders: A cross-sectional study

BackgroundMajor depressive disorders (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BD) are the most common psychiatric diagnoses of suicide attempts (SA) in adolescents. However, little is known regarding the differences in incidence and clinical-related features of SA between these two disorders. The study aims to examine the SA incidence and related factors in adolescents with MDD versus BD. MethodA retrospective survey was conducted in outpatients. SA incidence, demographic characteristics and substance use history were collected. Symptom Checklist-90 was used to measure the severity of symptoms. The Revised Chinese internet addiction scale and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 were utilized to assess the presence of internet addiction and impulsiveness. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire was used to measure childhood maltreatment subtypes. Results295 MDD and 205 BD adolescents were recruited. The incidence of SA for MDD and BD were 52.5 % and 56.4 %, respectively. BD adolescents who attempted suicide showed worse symptoms, higher rates of nicotine and alcohol use, higher motor and non-planning impulsivity, and a more childhood physical abuse proportion than MDD adolescents with SA. Physical abuse in childhood was found to be associated with SA in both disorders (OR = 1.998 for MDD; OR = 2.275 for BD), while higher anxiety (OR = 1.705), and alcohol use (OR = 2.094) were only associated with SA in MDD. LimitationsRetrospective, cross-sectional design cannot draw causality, and biases in self-report measurements cannot be ignored. ConclusionsThe findings revealed some difference between BD and MDD for adolescents with SA, and it emphasize significance of prompt identification and exact distinction between BD and MDD in adolescents.

Child Abuse Exposure, Internalizing and Externalizing Trauma Sequelae, and Partner Violence Perpetration Among Young Adult Men

ABSTRACT Partner violence is a major public health concern. Theory and research connect exposure to abuse in childhood to partner violence in adulthood. The present study examined internalizing and externalizing trauma sequelae as mediators in the association between child abuse exposure and adult partner violence perpetration. Young U.S. adult men (N = 423) completed background measures assessing exposure to psychological, physical, and sexual child abuse, internalizing (symptoms of anxiety and depression) and externalizing (problems with anger and alcohol use) sequelae, psychological and physical partner violence perpetration, and follow‐up assessments regarding sexual violence perpetration over the course of 3 months. Negative binomial regression showed that problems with anger mediated the associations between child psychological abuse exposure and adult psychological violence perpetration and between child physical abuse exposure and adult psychological violence perpetration. Problems from alcohol use mediated the associations between child psychological abuse exposure and adult psychological, physical, and sexual violence perpetration. Although child abuse exposure was associated with internalizing sequelae, none of the indirect effects from child abuse exposure to adult violence perpetration via internalizing sequelae were statistically significant. These findings add to the extant literature supporting an intergenerational transmission of violence and underscore that men who experience trauma early in life may attempt to cope with such experiences via maladaptive acting out behaviors. Partner violence interventions may benefit from incorporating strategies that address trauma and provide healthy alternatives for coping with distress.

Long term effects of childhood trauma and abuse: Narrative on functional neurological disorder.

Functional neurological disorder is a condition in which a person experiences physical symptoms that cannot be fully explained by a medical condition. In Pakistan, domestic violence as well as emotional, physical and sexual abuse in children are prevalent. Despite legal and social support for victims, stigmatisation regarding seeking psychological help complicates the challenge. Some of the research culminated that patients with neurological disorder reported high level of sexual abuse and trauma. The symptomatology of functional neurological disorder is being ignored in Asian countries due to indigenous factors like poverty, lack of information on reporting abuse, poor law-enforcement and victim blaming. Functional neurological disorder can be manifested in various ways in the human body, such as blindness, paralysis, dystonia, swallowing difficulties, difficulty walking, motor symptoms affecting limbs, voice production, problems in sensory functions, problems in cognitive function, psychogenic non-epileptic seizures and even dementia, whereas differential diagnosis is established after screening for organicity. The common risk factors of functional neurological disorder may include psychosocial stressors, family history of functional neurological disorder, and significant life changes. It is critical to understand the disorder in reference to predisposing risk factors, cultural context, comorbidities and gender specification to diagnose and treat functional neurological disorder in time so that better intervention protocols could be devised to treat it efficiently.

A pilot study on childhood trauma and love addiction: Exploring the mediation of unbalanced family functioning.

The general aim of the present study was the exploration of the relationships between childhood trauma subdimensions (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect), unbalanced family functioning patterns (disengaged, enmeshed, rigid, and chaotic), and love addiction. A sample of 910 individuals (76.6% female; Mage = 30 years, SD = 10.55) engaged in a romantic relationship participated in the research and completed the Love Addiction Inventory-Short Form, Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales-IV, and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form. Among the childhood trauma subdimensions, emotional and physical abuse showed significant and positive associations with love addiction levels. Furthermore, the path analysis showed that unbalanced family functioning patterns parallelly mediated the relationship between emotional (enmeshed, rigid, and chaotic patterns) and physical abuse (chaotic patterns) and love addiction. Gender as a covariate was controlled for. The present study offers insight into the mechanisms by which specific forms of childhood trauma could lead to love addiction in adulthood. The findings offer valuable insights for developing customized interventions when working with individuals struggling with love addiction, as well as for implementing effective preventive activities for the condition. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Cortisol’s diurnal rhythm indexes the neurobiological impact of child adversity in adolescence

Adverse early life experiences, such as child maltreatment, shapes hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) activity. The impact of social context is often probed through laboratory stress reactivity, yet child maltreatment is a severe form of chronic stress that recalibrates even stable or relatively inflexible stress systems such as cortisol’s diurnal rhythm. This study was designed to determine how different social contexts, which place divergent demands on children, shape cortisol’s diurnal rhythm. Participants include 120 adolescents (9–14 years), including 42 youth with substantiated child physical abuse. Up to 32 saliva samples were obtained in the laboratory, on days youth stayed home, and on school days. A 3-level hierarchical linear model examined cortisol within each day and extracted the diurnal rhythm at level 1; across days at level 2; and between-individual differences in cortisol and its rhythm at level 3. While cortisol’s diurnal rhythm was flattened when youth were in the novel laboratory context, the impact of maltreatment was observed within the home context such that maltreated children had persistently flattened diurnal rhythms. The effect of maltreatment overlapped with current chronic interpersonal family stress. Results are consistent with the idea that maltreatment exerts a robust, detrimental impact on the HPA axis and are interpreted in the context of less flexibility and rhythmicity. The HPA axis adapts by encoding signifiers of relevant harsh or unpredictable environments, and the extreme stress of physical abuse in the family setting may be one of these environments which calibrates the developing child’s stress responsive system, even throughout a developmental stage in which the family takes on diminishing importance.

Childhood maltreatment and association with trajectories of depressive symptoms among older adults: a longitudinal study in China

Objectives Childhood maltreatment has long-lasting effects on mental health. Existing evidence suggests that trajectories of depressive symptoms vary among individuals; however, little is known about how childhood maltreatment shapes these trajectory patterns. Therefore, this study investigated the impacts of childhood maltreatment on eight-year depressive trajectories among Chinese older adults. Method Five waves of longitudinal data from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study were utilized. Growth Mixture Modelling was performed to identify distinct trajectories of depressive symptoms, and multinomial logistic regression was conducted to explore the associations between these trajectories and childhood maltreatment. Results Four trajectories of depressive symptoms were identified: the ‘no symptoms’ class (61.83%), the ‘increasing symptoms’ class (14.49%), the ‘decreasing symptoms’ class (16.44%), and the ‘chronic symptoms’ class (7.24%). Older adults who experienced childhood physical abuse were more likely to be in the ‘chronic symptoms’ class than in the ‘no symptoms’ class, whereas emotional neglect did not show a significant association with three problematic trajectories. Conclusion This study provides empirical evidence that childhood physical abuse increases the likelihood of developing chronic depressive symptoms in later life. To mitigate this risk, it is crucial to institute comprehensive treatment plans that incorporate trauma-informed care principles, employ evidence-based therapies specifically designed to address the long-term effects of abuse, and prioritize regular screening and assessment of mental health among older adults.

An exploratory study of University Students’ Lived Experiences and Memories of Childhood Abuse.

Child abuse is a serious and devastating global problem. In Tanzania this problem exists in a variety of forms and is deeply rooted in cultural, educational and social practices, often mixed with, and difficult to distinguish from normal measures of correcting and disciplining children. This study is undertaken to describe the patterns of child abuse (physical, emotional and sexual) as experienced by university students in Tanzania in their childhood. The study also aims at obtaining deeper understanding of the different types of perpetrators who interacted with, and inflicted abuse to children in the family and community at large. Data comes from a representative sample drawn from university students (n=470) in one university in Tanzania in March 2019. Structured questionnaires were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze data. The results show multiple experiences of physical, emotional and sexual child abuse for both male and female students. The findings also indicate that family members, teachers, peers, and motor-cycle drivers were involved in the abuse of children consistent with similar studies which categorize such groups of people as perpetrators of child abuse (Moore et al, 2007; UNICEF Tanzania, 2011; Kisanga, 2012; McCrann, 2017) The study recommends that behaviors of child abuse be given due attention to ensure proper care, normal development and guarantee protection of children. The study also highlights the significance of engaging university students on intervention programs to counteract the negative effects of child abuse during adulthood.

Child safety reporting, services, and child welfare interventions with newcomer families during the COVID-19 pandemic: A survey of ontario child welfare workers.

BackgroundNewcomer families with child welfare involvement face complex COVID-19 related challenges that are still less understood within the Canadian context. ObjectiveThis study explored views on the changes in child safety reporting and interventions with newcomer families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Participantsand Setting: Participants were 63 child welfare workers from Children's Aid Societies across Ontario, Canada. MethodsUsing cross tabulations with Fisher exact tests, the analysis draws on survey data from the second wave of the pandemic to test for significance of differences in areas of child safety reporting, interventions with newcomer families, and available supports across urban and urban/rural settings. FindingsParents' emotional instability and substance use (86%), domestic/adult conflict (85.6%), and child emotional harm (66.3%) were the top child safety issues with most increased reporting during the pandemic. Except for domestic/adult conflict, there were no differences in the rating of the six identified areas of child abuse across newcomer/racialized caseloads in different geographical settings. Increasingly, during the COVID-19 pandemic, workers were intervening with newcomer families by ‘connecting them with community agencies or services’ (51.8%), and ‘reaching out to extended family and other community members to support parents’ (44.6%). Mental health supports (68.4%), family access (66.7%), and childcare (65.9%) were the least accessible services. ConclusionA closer examination of the reported child safety incidents shows that child emotional harm was on the rise and that child sexual and physical abuse were underreported. Unidentified cases of child abuse during the pandemic posed barriers to help-seeking and resulted in limited or no supports for victims.

Prospective associations of maternal stressors with child psychosocial problems through the occurrence of child physical abuse and changes in family dynamics

Early childbearing is associated with high maternal stress and family violence. However, the long-term effects of rapid repeat pregnancy (RRP) in young motherhood on child outcomes remain largely unknown. This study examined the pathways between maternal RRP at young ages and child psychosocial problems and emergency room visits in later years. A total of 232 Chinese mother-child dyads provided baseline data in 2015 (Time 1; T1) and follow-up data 6 years later in 2021 (Time 2; T2). At T1, mothers completed questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion and reported their own stress levels. At T2, mothers were re-surveyed with the same questionnaires about child physical abuse frequency and family cohesion. Children’s psychosocial problems were assessed through parent proxy-reports and records of emergency room visits were retrieved from hospital databases. After adjusting for demographic information, maternal history of RRP was associated with child physical abuse at T1 (β = .15, p < .05) and in turn linked to child physical abuse recurrence (β = .22, p < .01) and emergency room visits at T2 (β = .22, p < .001). Improved family cohesion over time did not break the link between maternal RRP and child physical abuse recurrence. Poor family dynamics can lead to child physical abuse recurrence and worsen developmental outcomes in children, particularly when coupled with other risk factors such as maternal RRP at young ages. Early interventions to enhance support and reduce vulnerabilities are important for preventing child physical abuse in at-risk families.

PTSD Symptoms Among College Students: Linkages with Familial Risk, Borderline Personality, and Sexual Assault

ABSTRACT College students have high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms as well as high rates of sexual assault. What is less clear, however, is whether different sexual assault types (e.g. coercive, physically forced, and incapacitation) are associated with greater PTSD symptoms. Moreover, understanding early familial and mental health histories of college students is important for explaining PTSD symptoms. As such, we use a social stress framework to examine the relationships between early familial risk (i.e. child abuse, perceived maternal rejection), borderline personality (BP) symptoms, and three sexual assault types with PTSD symptoms among college students. A total of 783 undergraduate students (65.4% female) completed paper and pencil surveys in fall 2019 and spring 2020 at a large public university. Results revealed that females were more likely to experience child sexual abuse and all three forms of sexual assault, while males experienced higher rates of child physical abuse. OLS regression results showed positive associations between child sexual abuse, perceived maternal rejection, BP symptoms and all three types of sexual assault with PTSD symptoms. Females also experienced more PTSD symptoms compared to males. Findings have implications for targeted interventions to improve mental health outcomes.

Incomplete Fractures of Distal Long Bones Among Children in Early Stages of Mobility: Few Concerns for Physical Child Abuse at a Single Pediatric Level I Trauma Center.

This study aimed to describe the characteristics, reported mechanism of injury, fracture morphology, and level of physical abuse concern among children in the early stages of mobility diagnosed with an incomplete distal extremity long bone fracture. A retrospective chart review was performed for all children aged 10 to 12 months with an incomplete fracture of a distal forearm or distal lower limb who were reportedly pulling up, cruising, or ambulating, and who were evaluated by the child abuse pediatrics team at a single pediatric level I trauma center. Of the 29 patients who met inclusion criteria, the child abuse pediatrics team had concerns about physical child abuse for 3 children. Not every case with an unknown or discrepant history of injury was deemed concerning for abuse, but all 3 for whom the team determined that concern was warranted had an unknown or discrepant history. All 3 of these children had distal forearm fractures; 1 child had multiple concomitant fractures (including a scapular fracture), and 2 had evidence of bone healing at initial presentation. Each of these observations raises concern for abusive injury based on current evidence. Both-bone buckle fractures of the radius/ulna and tibia/fibula were the most common type of incomplete distal fracture. This age group presents a unique challenge when designing evidence-based algorithms for the detection of occult injuries in emergency departments. Incomplete fractures of a distal limb are commonly related to a fall and may be considered "low specificity" for physical abuse. However, some publications conclude they should prompt universal physical abuse screening. Our small study indicated that the presence or absence of certain risk factors may provide additional information which could help guide the need for a more thorough evaluation for occult injury in early-mobile children with incomplete distal extremity long bone fractures. Ongoing research is warranted.

Identifying injuries suggestive of child physical abuse: An innovative application of the Trauma Quality Improvement Program.

Child physical abuse (CPA) carries high risk of morbidity and mortality. Screening for CPA may be limited by subjective risk criteria and racial and socioeconomic biases. This study derived, validated, and compared age-stratified International Classification of Diseases, 10th revision (ICD-10) diagnosis codes indicating high risk of CPA. Injured children younger than 6 years from the Trauma Quality Improvement Program (TQIP) database were included; years 2017 to 2018 were used for derivation and 2019 for validation. Confirmed CPA was defined as a report of abuse plus discharge with alternate caregiver. Patients were classified as high vs. low CPA risk by three methods: (1) abuse-specific ICD-10 codes, (2) previously validated high-risk ICD-9 codes crosswalked to equivalent ICD-10 codes, and (3) empirically-derived ICD-10 codes from TQIP. These methods were compared with respect to sensitivity, specificity, area under the receiver-operator curve (AUROC), and uniformity across race and insurance strata. A total of 122,867 children were included (81,347 derivation cohort, 41,520 validation cohort). Age-stratified high-risk diagnoses derived from TQIP consisted of 40 unique codes for ages 0 year to 2 years, 30 codes for ages 3 years to 4 years, and 20 codes for ages 5 years to 6 years. In the validation cohort, 890 children (2.1%) had confirmed CPA. On comparison with abuse-specific and crosswalked ICD-9 codes, TQIP-derived codes had the highest sensitivity (70% vs. 19% vs. 54%) and the highest AUROC (0.74 vs. 0.59 vs. 0.68, p < 0.0001) for confirmed abuse across all age groups. Age-based risk stratification using TQIP-derived codes demonstrated low variability by race (25% White vs. 25% Hispanic vs. 28% Black patients considered high-risk) and insurance status (23% privately insured vs. 26% uninsured). High-risk CPA injury codes empirically derived from TQIP produced the best diagnostic characteristics and minimized some disparities. This approach, while requiring further validation, has the potential to improve CPA injury surveillance and decrease bias in screening protocols. Diagnostic Test/Criteria; Level III.

The Relationship Between Childhood Abuse and Unintended Pregnancy Among Married Women of Reproductive Age in Bangladesh

ABSTRACT Childhood abuse has been associated with adverse medical, psychological, behavioral, and socioeconomic outcomes in adulthood. Despite this, limited research explores the connection between childhood abuse and unintended pregnancy during adulthood. Notably, existing studies have predominantly focused on high-income countries, leaving a significant gap regarding low- and middle-income nations. This study aims to investigate the impact of childhood physical, sexual, and psychological abuse on the prevalence of unintended pregnancies and explore the interaction effects of childhood abuse on unintended pregnancy occurrences. The cross-sectional survey study was conducted between October 2015 and January 2016 in the Chandpur District of Bangladesh. Data were collected from 426 married women aged 15–49 years who had at least one child of six months or younger. The assessment of child abuse pertains to the mother’s own experiences of childhood abuse and not abuse inflicted on her child. The prevalence of childhood physical, psychological, and sexual abuse was 37%, 26%, and 15%, respectively. About 25.1% of their most recent pregnancies were unintended. Notably, women with a history of childhood sexual abuse were twice as likely to experience unintended pregnancy compared to those without such a history. Furthermore, a dose-response connection was observed between the combined exposure of all categories of childhood abuse and a higher risk of unintended pregnancy. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, such as comprehensive sex education, accessible mental health support, and improved child protection frameworks, to address the potential repercussions of maternal childhood abuse and reduce the incidence of unintended pregnancies.

Mediating effect of suicidal ideation in the association between child abuse and premenstrual syndrome among female adults

IntroductionPremenstrual symptoms encompass a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that cyclically occur before menstruation. Childhood abuse has been associated with subsequent mental health challenges, yet its relationship with exacerbating premenstrual symptoms remains an understudied area. Furthermore, suicidal ideation often emerges from traumatic backgrounds such as child abuse, creating another layer of complexity. Given the rising suicide rates in Lebanon, and the concurrent increase in reported child abuse cases, this research focuses on the role of suicidal ideation as a mediator between child abuse and premenstrual syndrome.MethodsThis cross-sectional study involved 915 female university students in Lebanon. Participants completed an online questionnaire encompassing demographic details, health lifestyle, the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Child Abuse Self Report Scale (CASRS-12). The mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO v3.4 model 4; three pathways derived from this analysis: pathway A from the independent variable to the mediator, pathway B from the mediator to the dependent variable, Pathway C indicating the direct effect from the independent to the dependent variable.ResultsThe results of the mediation analysis showed that suicidal ideation mediated the association between all types of child abuse and the presence of PMS. Higher psychological (Beta = 0.21; p < 0.001), neglect (Beta = 0.02; p = 0.017), physical (Beta = 0.19; p < 0.001) and sexual (Beta = 0.20, p < 0.001) child abuse were significantly associated with higher suicidal ideation, which was significantly associated with the presence of PMS (Beta = 0.38, p = 0.001; Beta = 0.57, p < 0.001; Beta = 0.45, p < 0.001; and Beta = 0.50, p < 0.001) respectively. Finally, higher psychological (Beta = 0.17, p < 0.001), physical (Beta = 0.11, p = 0.024), but not sexual (Beta = 0.07, p = 0.198) child abuse was directly and significantly associated with the presence of PMS, whereas higher neglect (Beta = -0.06, p = 0.007) was significantly associated lower odds of having PMS.ConclusionThis study highlights the mediating role of suicidal ideation in the complex association between different types of childhood abuse and premenstrual symptoms. The findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed care and tailored interventions to address the diverse impact of these factors. Recognizing the intricate relationships between child abuse, suicidal ideation, and PMS can aid healthcare providers in comprehensively addressing young women’s mental and reproductive well-being. Trauma-informed care, tailored interventions and awareness of potential connections between childhood maltreatment are essential in managing these complex challenges.

Childhood maltreatment and the quality of marital relationships: Examining mediating pathways and gender differences

Background: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is considered a traumatic experience with long-term adverse effects on the quality of adult intimate relationships. Research on the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon among Arab societies is scarce. Objective: This study investigated the impact of childhood physical abuse (PA) and emotional abuse (EA) on the quality of marital relationships. Additionally, it examined the mediating roles of two dimensions of insecure adult attachment (i.e., avoidant and anxious) to a romantic partner and psychological distress within gender-specific models. Method: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a representative sample of 604 married Arab adults ( M age = 33.5, SD = 6.52; 50.1% women) in Israel using a self-administered questionnaire. Results: Childhood PA was significantly related to low levels of relationship quality among men and women. For men, childhood PA was positively related to psychological distress and both patterns of romantic attachment styles, which in turn were negatively associated with relationship quality. For women, childhood PA was positively associated with psychological distress and avoidant attachment, correlating with low levels of relationship quality. Conclusion: A retrospective assessment of childhood PA is associated with decreased levels of marital relationship quality for men and women. This association is mediated by psychological distress and romantic attachment styles. Implications: Implementing interventions focused on improving mental health and promoting a secure romantic attachment style can enhance the quality of marital relationships for adults with CM experiences.

A GYERMEKVÉDELEM FONTOSSÁGA A MEDENCETÉRBEN

Most of the coaches have a positive, supportive attitude towards athletes. Physical and emotional abuse of children is no longer part of the pedagogical practice of coaches these days, but unfortunately, this is not always the case. We examined two sports, swimming and water polo. We were interested in what form of abuse appears among athletes. How abused athletes share their experiences and process what happened. We used a questionnaire method in the study. One hundred seventeen people participated in the research: 63 women (53.8%) and 54 men (46.2%). The results demonstrated that all types of abuse (physical, mental, physical, and sexual) occurred in the examined sample. The majority of those interviewed reported various "punishments" such as some exercise, push-ups (73.5%), or additional swimming (69.2%). Many of them (28.8%) were shamed and humiliated. 43.2% of the respondents do not consider physical or mental abuse to be acceptable, but there are some things where they are more lenient. Nearly 17 percent assume intense pressure on the head is acceptable, and 30% of athletes partially or fully agree that "the coach has the right to use physical punishment to educate and discipline the child. Respondents shared their experiences mostly with their mother (41.9%), father (26.5%), or friends (26.5%). More than half of the respondents (59.8%) tried to suppress their grievances, and many (58.1%) also believed these experiences would accompany them throughout their lives.&#x0D;

Emotional Maltreatment of Children and Adolescents - Definitions, Prevalences, Risk Factors and Psychological Consequences

The aim of this article is to provide an introductory overview of the phenomenon of emotional maltreatment of children and adolescents by presenting national and international literature and, in particular, to illustrate the consequences for the mental health of those affected. First, relevant definitions are made and forms of appearance of emotional child maltreatment are presented. A comparison of national and global prevalences shows that emotional child maltreatment is one of the most prevalent forms of child maltreatment. There are different risk factors that can exist at the level of the parents as well as at the level of the children or the environment. The risk that children and adolescents who have experienced emotional violence will have experienced other forms of childmaltreatment is high.There aremultiple consequences for victims of emotional child maltreatment which can result in different, longterm participatory impairments. Especially the psychological and somatic consequences of emotional childmaltreatment can be compared to the consequences of child sexual abuse and physical child maltreatment. Nevertheless, the significance of emotional maltreatment for affected children and adolescents is still underestimated in practice. Often, the effects of emotionalmaltreatment on those affected are not visible. Froma child and adolescent psychiatric/ psychotherapeutic perspective, the psychological consequences must therefore be clearly stated. Finally, there is a need for a broader understanding of emotional child maltreatment that also includes peer and sibling violence.

The relationship between physical child abuse resulting from excessive crying in babies and mothers’ perceived social support and mental well-being: A structural equation model

In this study the researchers tested a conceptual model of the relationship between the perceived social support and mental well-being of mothers and their physically abusive behavior (slapping or shaking) toward babies who cry excessively. A structured questionnaire was employed to conduct a cross-sectional study. Between February and June 2021, research data were collected from 418 mothers with 0- to 12-month-old babies who cried at least 2 hours a day. The survey data were analyzed with a structural equation model. Perceived family support and mental well-being were significantly associated with physically abusive behavior that occurred in the form of slapping or shaking (β 1 = 0.401; β 2 = 0.471; p < 0.001). Mental well-being mediated the relationship between perceived family support and physically abusive behavior in the form of slapping or shaking (β = 0.108; p = 0.002).