Childhood Family Violence Research Articles

Childhood Adversity and Adult Onset of Hypertension and Heart Disease in São Paulo, Brazil

Using data from the São Paulo Megacity Mental Health Survey and logistic regression models, we studied how childhood neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and family violence were related to adult hypertension and heart disease. After adjustment for sociodemographic factors, child physical abuse was associated with hypertension and heart disease, whereas family violence was associated with hypertension. Efforts to curb child physical abuse could potentially reduce subsequent hypertension and heart disease.

Childhood abuse and family violence in relation to adult onset of hypertension and heart disease in São Paulo, Brazil

Childhood abuse and family violence in relation to adult onset of hypertension and heart disease in São Paulo, Brazil

Social cognition in schizophrenia and comorbid antisocial personality disorder

selected from a stratified multistage clustered area probability sample of households within the 39 municipalities of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Analyses used weighted simple and multiple logistic regression models with childhood neglect, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and family violence as exposures and heart disease and hypertension as outcomes, adjusted for socio-demographic variables and early onset of major depressive disorder. Results: In models adjusted for socio-demographic factors and early onset of depression, physical abuse (OR = 1.64, 95% CI: 1.30–2.07) and family violence (OR = 1.37, 95% CI: 1.10–1.71) were associated with hypertension. Physical abuse was a significant risk factor for heart disease (OR = 1.74, 95% CI: 1.06–2.85) when controlling for socio-demographic variables, but this association lost significance when controlling for early onset of depression. When additionally controlling for other childhood adversities simultaneously, physical abuse remained associated with adult hypertension (OR = 1.68, 95% CI: 1.28–2.20; OR = 1.59, 95% CI: 1.22–2.07 with and without adjusting for depression, respectively). Physical abuse lost significance when also adjusting for the other childhood adversities simultaneously. Conclusions: Results suggest a positive association between childhood physical abuse and hypertension in adulthood, even when adjusting for other childhood adversities, onset of depression and socio-demographic risk factors. Efforts to curb child physical abuse could potentially reduce subsequent hypertension, and morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease.

Family, school and community violence and problem behavior in childhood: Results from a longitudinal study in Brazil

Objective - To analyze if the presence of internalizing and externalizing behavior over the years are associated to the occurrence of family and social violence among schoolchildren in a Brazilian municipality. Subjects - A sample of 295 children from public schools was followed longitudinally in three waves (2005-2008), assessing the emotional and behavioral problems (CBCL) and the presence of different forms of violence. Methods - Two linear regression models were conducted taking into account the longitudinal dependence. Results - The final model for externalizing problems identified that boys are more affected and that physical violence between grandparents, between parents and between siblings, parental verbal aggression against the child and school violence are related to an increase in symptomatology throughout the period studied. The model of internalizing behavior encountered the following variables as being significant: verbal aggression of parents towards the child, sibling physical aggression and violence at school. Conclusion - The results indicate the need for preventive proposals focusing on the family and violence at school, thereby reducing emotional and behavioral problems that seriously affect child development.

Behavioral and Attitudinal Factors Differentiating Male Intimate Partner Violence Perpetrators With and Without a History of Childhood Family Violence

This study utilized a sample of men (N = 340) charged with assault against a female partner to assess differences among IPV perpetrators with and without a history of childhood family violence on factors such as angry, controlling and violent behaviors, substance use related behaviors, and attitudes towards women. Over two-thirds of the sample reported childhood exposure to maltreatment or witnessing IPV. Chi-square analyses and t-tests indicated significant differences between perpetrators with and without a history of family violence on eight of eleven measures. Findings suggest perpetrators with a family violence history more strongly endorse ideas that present women and feminine attributes in a negative light. This research demonstrates that while exposure to family violence during childhood is not necessary for IPV to occur, its presence may be a marker for more severe attitudinal and behavioral problems. Findings highlight the need for primary prevention efforts and can inform secondary prevention strategies.

Social anxiety and negative early life events in university students

There is substantial evidence regarding the impact of negative life events during childhood on the aetiology of psychiatric disorders. We examined the association between negative early life events and social anxiety in a sample of 571 Spanish University students. In a cross-sectional survey conducted in 2007, we collected data through a semistructured questionnaire of sociodemographic variables, personal and family psychiatric history, and substance abuse. We assessed the five early negative life events: (i) the loss of someone close, (ii) emotional abuse, (iii) physical abuse, (iv) family violence, and (v) sexual abuse. All participants completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale. Mean (SD) age was 21 (4.5), 75% female, LSAS score was 40 (DP = 22), 14.2% had a psychiatric family history and 50.6% had negative life events during childhood. Linear regression analyses, after controlling for age, gender, and family psychiatric history, showed a positive association between family violence and social score (p = 0.03). None of the remaining stressors produced a significant increase in LSAS score (p > 0.05). University students with high levels of social anxiety presented higher prevalence of negative early life events. Thus, childhood family violence could be a risk factor for social anxiety in such a population.

Adverse experiences and suicidal ideation in adolescence: Exploring the link using the LONGSCAN samples.

Although widely studied in adults, the link between lifetime adversities and suicidal ideation in youth is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to explore this link in adolescents. The analyses used a sample of 740 16-year-old youth in the LONGSCAN sample, and distinguished between childhood (before the age of 12) and adolescent (between age 12 and age 16) adversities. There was a significant link between cumulative lifetime adversities and suicidal ideation. There was no evidence that this link was moderated by gender. Childhood adversities moderated the effects of adolescent adversities on suicidal ideation; effects of adolescent adversities were strongest at low levels of childhood adversities. There was also some evidence supporting a specific cumulative model of the effects of adversities on suicidal ideation; the most predictive model included the sum of the following adversities: childhood physical abuse, childhood neglect, childhood family violence, childhood residential instability, adolescent physical abuse, adolescent sexual abuse, adolescent psychological maltreatment, and adolescent community violence. The timing and nature of adversities are important in understanding youth suicidal ideation risk; in particular, adolescent maltreatment and community violence appear to be strong predictors. Preventing and appropriately responding to the abuse of adolescents has the potential to reduce the risk of suicidal ideation.

A (in)visibilidade da violência psicológica na infância e adolescência no contexto familiar

Psychological family violence in childhood and adolescence is still poorly studied, due to difficulties in its definition and detection. This article aims to examine how psychological family violence reported by children and adolescents has been addressed in academic studies, using a literature review (LILACS, MEDLINE, SciELO, PubMed, CAPES Portal, PsycINFO, and SCOPUS databases). Among 51 epidemiological studies, 16 articles met the review's objectives; some of the articles reported a high prevalence of such violence. The study showed that the issue has been studied more in the international literature than in Brazil, which has significantly increased its visibility in the last decade but still faces difficulties involving definition, conceptualization, and operationalization. Eliminating the invisibility of psychological violence in the family could help promote prevention of such violence and protection of children and adolescents.

A violência física na infância de estudantes de Enfermagem

This research had as its object of study: “The experiences of physical violence in childhood of nursing undergraduate students.” The objectives were: a) to review the occurrence of physical violence in childhood students of nursing; b) to characterize the factors surrounding the experience of violence; and c) to identify the effects in adulthood of the violence suffered in childhood. The quantitative descriptive methods were used. The study subjects were 190 students in an undergraduate course in nursing. This research was approved by the Ethics in Research Committee (2102-CEP/HUPE Project). From the total, 61 (32%) of the study subjects experienced violence in childhood, predominantly at home, and the most frequent offenders are relatives. Most students believe spanking sometimes is necessary, and 9 (14%) of those were abused in childhood reported that the experience reflected in their adult life. Thus, family violence in childhood was important for students, and corporal punishment was a kind of ordinary education. We suggested approaching this problem more deeply in the undergraduate courses in nursing, promoting the prevention of violence and supporting those who experienced violence in childhood and those who experience it nowadays.

P01-140 - Early negative life events during childhood and social anxietyin adulthood

BackgroundAlthough there is considerable evidence on the impact of negative life events during childhood on the etiology of psychiatric disorders, little is known about the specific influence on the social anxiety disorder. The objective of the study was to examine this association.MethodIn a cross-sectional survey in 571 university students we analysed the association between loss of someone close, emotional abuse, physical abuse, family violence and sexual abuse with social anxiety assessed by the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale.ResultsTwenty percent of the sample had social anxiety and 50,6% had an early negative life events in childhood. After controlling for family psychiatric history and gender only family violence was associated with an increased risk of social anxiety (OR = 4.63; 95%CI = 1.13–18.9).ConclusionsThis study found childhood family violence associated with social phobia in university students.

A violência física na infância de estudantes de Enfermagem

Esta pesquisa teve como objeto de estudo: “As vivências de violência física na infância do(a)s aluno(a)s de um curso de graduação em Enfermagem”. Os objetivos foram: a) analisar a ocorrência de violência física na infância de aluno(a)s de enfermagem; b) caracterizar os fatores circundantes à vivência dessa violência; e c) identificar as repercussões na vida adulta da violência sofrida na infância. O método utilizado foi quantitativo do tipo descritivo. Os sujeitos do estudo foram 190 estudantes de um curso de graduação em Enfermagem. Esta pesquisa foi aprovada pelo Comitê de Ética em Pesquisa do Hospital Universitário Pedro Ernesto (CEP/HUPE- Projeto nº 2102). Do total de sujeitos do estudo, 61 (32%) sofreram violência na infância, predominantemente no domicílio, e os familiares foram os agressores mais frequentes. A maioria dos alunos considera a palmada às vezes necessária e 9 (14%) dos que sofreram violência na infância relataram que essa experiência repercutiu em sua vida adulta. Assim, a ocorrência de violência familiar na infância dos alunos é relevante, e a punição corporal como forma de educação naturalizada. Sugere-se a abordagem desse problema de forma mais aprofundada nos cursos de graduação em Enfermagem, favorecendo a prevenção da violência e o apoio aos que a vivenciaram ou vivenciam.

The Contribution of Childhood Family Violence on Later Intimate Partner Violence Among Robbery Victims

This study examined the relative contributions of the three forms of childhood family violence exposure on physical intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization among recent robbery victims and tested a gender-matching modeling prediction for IPV risk. Data from a sample of 103 male and 93 female victims of a robbery were analyzed to investigate the effects of exposure to childhood physical abuse (CPA), childhood sexual abuse (CSA), and witnessing parental violence on the likelihood of IPV in adulthood. As expected, witnessing parental violence was associated with a 2.4-fold increase in IPV for both men and women. Neither CPA nor CSA was significantly associated with IPV after accounting for the effect of witnessing parental violence. There was support for the gender-matching hypothesis with men more likely to report IPV if they had witnessed mother-to-father violence and women more likely to report IPV if they had witnessed father-to-mother violence. Witnessing parental violence is strongly associated with risk for IPV victimization, particularly when the victim is the same-gender parent. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Father’s and Mother’s Psychological Violence and Adolescent Behavioral Adjustment

Maternal and paternal psychological violence were examined as potential risk factors for internalized and externalized behavior problems displayed by adolescents. Childhood family violence (physical and psychological parental violence), current extrafamily violence (bullying and dating violence), and family structure were taken into account. A sample of 278 adolescents (mean age: 14.2) were recruited in three public schools located in low to high socioeconomic areas. Participants were in the 7th, 8th, and 9th grades, and each completed a self-administered questionnaire. Frequency of current psychological violence is about the same for each parental figure. The three most frequent and least frequent psychologically violent parental practices were also the same for both parental figures. Psychological violence of both parents was related to internalized and externalized behavior problems over and above family structure, childhood family violence, and current extrafamily violence.

Sense of Community as a Protective Factor against Long‐Term Psychological Effects of Childhood Violence

This study uses a risk and resilience framework for conceptualizing the long-term effects of childhood family violence on mental health. It examines sense of community as a protective factor against adult psychological distress associated with experiences of physical or psychological violence in childhood from parents. Regression models are estimated using data from the 1995 National Survey of Midlife Development in the U.S. and from the 1996-97 National Study of Daily Experiences. Reported experiences of frequent psychological violence, regardless of the frequency of physical violence, is found to be positively associated with adult psychological distress. Adults' sense of community is found to moderate the association between reports of both frequent psychological and frequent physical violence in childhood from parents and adult psychological distress.

Exposure to Family Violence in Childhood and Intimate Partner Perpetration or Victimization in Adulthood: Exploring Intergenerational Transmission in Urban Thailand

Investigators who study intimate partner violence have long recognized a relationship between exposure to violence in the family of origin and subsequent offending and victimization in the family context. This relationship holds not only for direct exposure (i.e., experiencing violence), but also for indirect exposure (i.e., witnessing violence against a parent or sibling). Typically, this relationship has been attributed to a social learning process that results in the intergenerational transmission of family violence. In this study, we explore intergenerational transmission in a sample of 816 married women in Bangkok, Thailand to determine how childhood exposure to violence in the family of origin is related to intimate partner perpetration and victimization during adulthood. Our results show that there are indeed long-term and significant effects of childhood exposure to family violence on the likelihood of Thai women’s psychological and physical intimate partner perpetration. However, these effects appear to be indirect. Additionally, our results demonstrate a direct association between childhood exposure to parental intimate partner violence and subsequent psychological and physical victimization in adulthood.

Collecting Data from Mothers who have Experienced Childhood Family Violence with the use of a Feminist Methodology

Family violence has been found to have a variety of negative impacts on children. Children exposed to violence often fail to develop positive social skills, which may impact on their ability to function as healthy, productive adults. The aim of my Masters research, titled: ‘The Impacts of Childhood Exposure to Family Violence on Subsequent Mothering’ was to investigate the long-term impacts of girls’ exposure to family violence. The interviews involved discussions of intimate and sensitive issues. In this article, I discuss the feminist methodology within which I conducted my research, highlighting the concepts that proved invaluable in collecting rich data of a sensitive nature. By sharing my field experience, I intend to make a small contribution to the research methodology literature as many others have done before me.

Maus-tratos na infância de mulheres vítimas de violência

O presente estudo teve por objetivo identificar os comportamentos de risco de mulheres que presenciaram violência na família durante a sua infância e/ou adolescência e foram vítimas de violência na vida adulta, bem como determinar a prevalência desses casos e o perfil dessas mulheres. As mulheres investigadas eram assistidas no ambulatório de ginecologia do Centro de Atenção à Mulher do Instituto Materno-Infantil Professor Fernando Figueira, um centro de prestação de serviço terciário de saúde localizado no Nordeste do Brasil. O estudo foi um corte transversal e foram realizadas análises uni e bivariada em 619 questionários aplicados. Os resultados indicaram uma elevada prevalência (39,7%) de história de violência familiar na infância e/ou adolescência de mulheres vítimas de violência na vida adulta. Concluiu-se que é importante e necessário identificar e assistir as famílias de risco, com o propósito de prevenir a prática de violência, haja vista a relevância da sua transmissão transgeracional.

Violence from parents in childhood and obesity in adulthood: Using food in response to stress as a mediator of risk

Guided by a life course perspective and concepts from models of stress and coping, this study tested the extent to which self-reported profiles of physical and psychological violence in childhood from parents were associated with greater odds of obesity in adulthood. This study also examined the extent to which adults' greater use of food in response to stress served as a mediator of potential associations of risk. Multivariate regression models were estimated using data from 1650 respondents in the 1995–2005 National Survey of Midlife in the U.S. (MIDUS). Results indicated that respondents who reported having experienced both psychological and physical violence from parents—with at least one type of violence having reportedly occurred frequently—were more likely to be classified as obese in contrast to respondents who reported never having experienced either type of violence from parents. Evidence from a sequence of models that tested mediation effects indicated that greater use of food in response to stress among respondents with problematic histories of violence explained, in part, their higher risk of adult obesity. Findings contribute to the growing body of evidence regarding psychosocial predictors of obesity, as well as the physical health consequences of childhood family violence. Results further suggest the importance of addressing particular aspects of life course social relationships—such as violence in childhood from parents—and their implications for psycho-behavioral uses of food within efforts to reduce rates of adult obesity.

Childhood Family Violence and Perpetration and Victimization of Intimate Partner Violence: Findings From a National Population-Based Study of Couples

We sought to examine the relation between childhood family violence and intimate partner violence (IPV). We surveyed 1615 couples from the U.S. household population by using multistage cluster sampling. Childhood family violence measures included moderate and severe child physical abuse and witnessing interparental threats or physical violence. IPV was categorized as nonreciprocal male-to-female partner violence (MFPV), nonreciprocal female-to-male partner violence (FMPV), reciprocal IPV (MFPV and FMPV), and no IPV. We used multinomial logistic regression to estimate unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) between childhood family violence and IPV. Men who experienced moderate (adjusted OR [AOR] 3.9, 95% CI, 1.3-11.8) or severe (AOR 4.5, 95% CI: 1.1-19.3) child physical abuse were at increased risk of nonreciprocal MFPV; a male history of severe childhood physical abuse or witnessing interparental violence was associated with a twofold increased risk of reciprocal IPV. Women who witnessed interparental threats of violence (AOR 1.9, 95% CI, 0.8-4.6) or interparental physical violence (AOR 3.4, 95% CI, 1.5-7.9) in childhood were at increased risk of nonreciprocal FMPV. Women exposed to any type of childhood family violence were more than 1.5 times as likely to engage in reciprocal IPV. Many strong positive ORs had CIs compatible with no association. We provide new evidence that childhood family violence is associated with an increased risk of nonreciprocal and reciprocal IPV. Treatment providers and policy makers should consider childhood family violence history in both men and women in the context of IPV.

The complexity of trauma types in the lives of women in families referred for family violence: Multiple mediators of mental health.

Responding to calls for further research about the impact of multiple types of trauma across the life span, this study examines the interconnections among types of trauma in childhood and adulthood in a convenience clinical sample of 283 women obtaining social services for family violence. In particular, variables including family of-origin dysfunction and other childhood risk factors, relationship victimization in adulthood, and the presence of adult resources were examined as mediators of links between child maltreatment and adult mental health symptoms. Variables were assessed at different time points, 3 years apart. Path analysis revealed that the conceptual model of multiple pathways between childhood family violence exposure and adult outcomes fit the data well. In particular, the link between child maltreatment and adult trauma symptoms was mediated by more proximal adult sexual and intimate partner violence and its association with childhood risk markers (e.g., negative family environment) and decreased markers of resources. This link was not significant for a more general index of mental health symptoms in adulthood.