ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Research Articles

Child maltreatment and psycho-social impairments among child laborers in rural Bangladesh.

The current study focused on exploring the impact of maltreatment of child laborers on their psychosocial health condition from the views of their parents. A total of 100 parents of child laborers were recruited using snowball sampling. The structured questionnaire comprised two validated scales including ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST-P), and Paediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) were used for the survey. Factor analysis and multivariable linear regression analysis were performed to examine the data using SPSS version 26, and Stata version 16.1. A three-factor model consisting of internalizing, externalizing, and attention associated psycho-social impairments of child laborers were derived from the 35-item scale of PSC tool and represented a good fit to the data. A mean estimate of maltreatment indicates that a majority of child laborers are maltreated psychologically, followed by physical maltreatment and neglect. The factor analysis resulted that maltreated child laborers are highly prone to exhibit internalized psycho-social difficulties, followed by externalized and attention-associated emotional and behavioral difficulties among child laborers. The regression model further depicts that child laborers, who had been physically and psychologically maltreated, are significantly more likely to be affected by internalized and attention-related psycho-social impairments. The study concluded that victimized child laborers exhibited significant internalized, as well as attention-related problems. These findings may be useful for future studies that examine emotional and behavioral problems among maltreated child laborers and, therefore, for developing prevention strategies.

Prevalence, Correlates and Subjective Experience of Emotional Abuse in Adolescents Presenting to Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Services: A Mixed Methods Study

Introduction: The burden and impact of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) among children and adolescents utilizing psychiatry services is a less studied area, especially in the Indian context. This study aims to study the prevalence and correlates of CEA in adolescents attending psychiatry services and to understand the subjective experience of emotional abuse (EA) in this population. Methods: Adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years attending child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP) services were recruited for the study. The prevalence of CEA was assessed using ICAST-C (ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool), temperament was assessed using the Malhotra Temperament Scale, and psychosocial adversities were assessed with the Parent Interview Schedule (PIS). From those reporting CEA, a few of them were interviewed to get narratives of subjective experiences of CEA, and this was analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: In total, 81 adolescents were recruited for the study, and among them, 82.7% ( n = 67) reported at least 1 form of EA in the last year, and 93.8% ( n = 76) of them reported a lifetime history of at least 1 form of EA. The frequency of other psychosocial adversities like abnormal intrafamilial relationships ( n = 33; 40.7%) and inadequate or distorted intrafamilial communications ( n = 49; 60.5%) was high in this sample. There was a significant association between the presence of EA in the last year and physical abuse ( p = .00) and neglect ( p = .01) in the last year. Narratives for qualitative analysis were collected from 21 adolescents. The most common themes in the context of CEA were related to academics ( n = 10) and emotional and behavioral problems in the child ( n = 7). Conclusions: There is a high prevalence of EA among adolescents attending CAP services. There is a high co-occurrence of other forms of abuse and other psychosocial adversities with EA. As adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) pose a high risk for future physical and mental health sequelae, this needs to be identified early and intervened with.

MATERNAL WELLBEING: IMPACT OF PARENTING AND CHILD ABUSE

The present study examined impact of parenting and child abuse on maternal wellbeing. A sample size of 200 pregnant women was selected from the hospital settings by purposive sampling technique. Flourishing Scale, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire Parent Form (APQ-P) and ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool—Parent version (ICAST-P)were used. The results indicated that there is a significant negative relation and impact between maternal well-being and child abuse. The relationship of maternal wellbeing is significantly positive and predictable with involvement, positive parenting and inconsistent discipline. However, maternal wellbeing is significantly negatively associated and predicted with poor monitoring and corporate punishment. The interpretation of quantitative content analysis revealed parenting techniques mothers used as appropriate means to discipline their children.

Psychometric Testing and Semantic Validation of ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST) in Urdu Language

ISPCAN Child abuse screening tool (ICAST) has been used broadly for measuring maltreatment against children. The present study aimed to translate and validate the Child Abuse Screening Tool for two main purposes. Firstly, this scale was translated to use it as a screening tool for the abused children. Secondly, to determine concurrent validity of indigenous Child Abuse Scale (Malik & Shah, 2007) Revision by Malik and Saeed (2014). T

The lifetime prevalence of child sexual abuse assessed in young adults in Lithuania

ObjectiveWe examined the prevalence of different types of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) in Lithuania focusing on how these experiences were related to victim's age and relationship to the perpetrator. MethodsThe participants came from a representative household survey of youth aged 18–29 and the sample consisted of 2000 participants (47.7 % women) with a mean age of 23.9 years (SD = 3.6). The ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Retrospective version (ICAST-R, Dunne et al., 2009) for young adults was used to investigate childhood exposure to CSA. Both current sociodemographic information and information on circumstances during childhood (e.g., number of siblings, family members with whom the participant lived between 7 and 12 year of age) were collected. ResultsThe prevalence of any CSA experience before the age of 18 was 15.9 %, with higher rates for women (13.5 % and 18.5 % for men and women, respectively). Being spoken to in a sexual way or sexual things being written about the person was the most prevalent form of CSA. In contrast, number of victims that reported sexual intercourse was much lower. The most common type of perpetrator was another young person. Intrafamilial CSA was rare with higher risk in step-relationships. ConclusionsOur study provides representative prevalence estimates of the CSA in a region for which such estimates were not previously available. These Lithuanian estimates correspond well with previous literature. Importantly, the findings point to peers being an important perpetrator group in CSA cases. This and other findings can inform the planning of relevant policy measures and actions to both prevent CSA and investigate cases effectively.

Widening epidemiological data on the prevalence of child maltreatment: Validation of the German ICAST-R in a student sample and national household survey

BackgroundA number of instruments for measuring child maltreatment (CM) prevalence have repeatedly been used across different countries. Although they hold the potential for providing benchmarks to tackle the gap of lacking comparability of CM prevalence across countries, contextual information about the adverse experiences such as perpetrator, chronicity, frequency, or severity are rarely covered. The ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool - Retrospective (ICAST-R) covers these important dimensions. The German version increases the number of available versions to 21 different languages. Spoken by about 120 million people, German is one of the 20 most prevalent languages around the world. Moreover, the ICAST-R is intended to be used with young adults. This study further aims at adding towards the gap of psychometrics in older age groups. MethodsAnalyses are based on both a sample of German students (n = 333) and a nationally representative household survey (n = 2515). The validation process covered six steps: (1) Analyses of missing data on single items, (2) calculation of descriptive statistics to estimate the prevalence CM as well as subjective severity and main perpetrators. (3) Structural validity of the four conceptualized subtypes of CM (neglect, physical abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse) was tested using confirmatory factor analyses (CFA). Next (4), equivalence testing by multigroup confirmatory factor analyses (MGCFA) on age groups was conducted within the representative sample; (5) reliability was tested by determining internal consistencies for each subscale via the McDonald's Omega, Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20), and Cronbach's alpha. Lastly (6), criterion validity was tested in regression models comparing depressive/anxious symptomatology for single victimization and polyvictimization. ResultsThe German ICAST-R yielded low missing values items in both samples. 16 % of the participants in the national household survey reported neglect, 20.3 % physical abuse, 22.2 % emotional abuse, and 8.6 % sexual abuse. Polyvictimization was prevalent with 20.6 % of subjects reporting >2 types of CM. Students in the pilot-survey reported much higher prevalence estimates than participants in the nationally representative sample. The types of CM subjectively rated as most harmful were emotional abuse and sexual abuse. In both samples, structural validity was similarly confirmed as CFA was reproducing the four conceptualized subtypes of CM with adequate fit (household survey: CFI 0.919, TLI 0.907, RMSEA 0.017, SRMR 0.046). Internal consistency achieved acceptable and comparable values for all three types of coefficients; criterion validity was established with a significant dose-response effect of CM experiences on both anxiety and depressive symptoms/diagnoses. Age dependent analyses on structural validity (MGCFA) and reliability in the household survey revealed potential weaknesses of items. ConclusionThe German version of the ICAST-R both widens the possibility of international CM prevalence comparison and provides novel epidemiological data for Germany on subjective severity of CM and CM perpetrators. Even in the presence of a marked selection bias, the ICAST-R had similarly good psychometric properties in the student and nationally representative household sample. Except for issues with two items, equivalence testing was comparable across age groups.

The Effects of Childhood Abuse and Neglect on Anxiety, Anxiety Sensitivity and Academic Success: A University Sample

AbstractObjective: Child abuse and neglect which are the leading problems all over the world can cause major physical and mental effects. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of childhood abuse and neglect on anxiety symptoms, anxiety sensitivity and academic success in young adults.Material and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted with 301 volunteer participants aged between 17 and 24 and studying in the first year of university. ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools (ICAST-R), Beck Anxiety Scale and Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 forms were answered by the students who agreed to participate in the study and the students were asked to indicate the University Entrance Exams score. The data were statistically evaluated in theSPSS 22.0 database.Results: Of the 301 students 39.20% who participated in the study were exposed to abuse at least once before the age of 18 years. The most common types of exploitation was emotional abuse. The mean of the total score of the students taken from the Beck Anxiety Scale was 15.55±11.58 and it was found that there was a statistically significant relationship between anxiety levels and abuse status (p<0.001). It was found that there was a statistically significant relationshipbetween exploitation and anxiety sensitivity levels also (p<0.001). There was a statistically significant relationship between a history of abuse and university entrance exams success (p<0.001).Conclusion: According to findings in our study, being abused and neglected have strong influences on anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, and university untrance uxams score. The results were highly parallel to other studies with young adults. The psychiatric and sociological consequences of child abuse and neglect in the future can be protected with a multidisciplinary approach and adequate rehabilitation can be provided.

ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C): Translation and adaptation to Mexican Spanish, and psychometric properties tested in Mexico City adolescents

BackgroundResearch using the IPSCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C), has provided ample evidence of the magnitude of violence against children. Knowledge about its psychometric characteristics and validity is limited. Hence, our objective was to translate and culturally adapt the ICAST-C in adolescents from Mexico City and determine its psychometric properties. Participants and settingTo determine the psychometric properties of the instrument 723 adolescents between 11 and 18 years of age from 9 public secondary schools in Mexico City participated. MethodsThe study was carried out in two phases: 1) translation and adaptation of the instrument (in 5 steps) and 2) pilot evaluation of the psychometric properties. Total and factor reliabilities were determined, Pearson correlation was used for temporal stability while construct validity was determined by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), and final adequacy of the items eliminated by the CFA. ResultsWe developed the culturally relevant Mexican Spanish version of the ICAST-C. The CFA confirmed the six-factor structure hypothesis. To improve the original model we eliminated ten items, the final model showed good global fit indices (χ2(1310) = 2207.68, p < .01, χ2/df = 1.68; CFI =0.95; RMSEA = 0.02 [CI95% 0.02–0.03]; SRMR = 0.08). Total and factor reliabilities were adequate (Alpha = 0.79–0.92, r = 0.52–0.75), except for the non-violent discipline factor (Alpha = 0.59, r = 0.38). ConclusionsWhile these data suggest that this version of the ICAST-C is valid and reliable for adolescents in Mexico City public secondary schools, further research should evaluate the psychometric properties in a national sample.

The relationships between resilience, care environment, and social-psychological factors in orphaned and separated adolescents in Western Kenya

ABSTRACT The relationships between care environment, resilience, and social factors in orphaned and separated adolescents and youths (OSAY) in western Kenya are complex and under-studied.Survey responses from OSAY living in Charitable Children’s Institutes (CCI) and family-based care settings (FBS) in Uasin Gishu County, Kenya were used to examine the associations between 1) care environment and resilience; 2) care environment and factors thought to promote resilience (e.g. social, family, and peer support); and 3) resilience and these same resilience-promoting factors, using multivariable linear and logistic regressions. This cross-sectional study included 1202 OSAY (50.4% female) aged 10–26 (mean = 16; SD = 3.5). The mean resilience score in CCIs was 71 (95%CI = 69–73) vs. 64 (95%CI = 62–66) in FBS. OSAY in CCIs had higher resilience (β = 7.67; 95%CI = 5.26–10.09), social support (β = 0.26; 95%CI = 0.14–0.37), and peer support (β = 0.90; 95%CI = 0.64–1.17) than those in FBS. OSAY in CCIs were more likely to volunteer than those in FBS (OR = 3.72; 95%CI = 1.80–7.68), except in the male subgroup. Family (β = 0.42; 95%CI = 0.24–0.60), social (β = 4.19; 95%CI = 2.53–5.85), and peer (β = 2.13; 95%CI = 1.44–2.83) relationships were positively associated with resilience in all analyses. Volunteering was positively associated with resilience (β = 5.85; 95%CI = 1.51–10.19). The factor most strongly related to resilience in both fully adjusted models was peer support. This study found a strong relationship between care environment and resilience. Care environment and resilience each independently demonstrated strong relationships with peer support, social support, and participating in volunteer activities. Resilience also had a strong relationship with familial support. These data suggest that resilience can be developed through strategic supports to this vulnerable population. Abbreviations: 95%CI - 95% Confidence intervalAMPATH - Academic Model Providing Access to HealthcareCASSS - Child and Adolescent Social Support ScaleCCI - Charitable Children’s InstitutesCTQ - Childhood Trauma QuestionnaireFBS - Family-based care settingICAST-CH - ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children a HomeMSPSS - Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social SupportMTRH – Moi Teaching and Referral HospitalMU - Moi UniversityOSAY - Orphaned and separated adolescents and youthsOSCAR - Orphaned and Separated Children’s Assessments Related to Their Health and Well-BeingOR - Odds ratioRS14 - Resilience ScaleSD - Standard deviationSDQ - Strengths and Difficulties QuestionnaireSE - Standard ErrorUG - Uasin Gishu

The EmpaTeach intervention for reducing physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp: A cluster-randomised controlled trial.

BackgroundSchool-based violence prevention interventions offer enormous potential to reduce children’s experience of violence perpetrated by teachers, but few have been rigorously evaluated globally and, to the best of our knowledge, none in humanitarian settings. We tested whether the EmpaTeach intervention could reduce physical violence from teachers to students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp, Tanzania.Methods and findingsWe conducted a 2-arm cluster-randomised controlled trial with parallel assignment. A complete sample of all 27 primary and secondary schools in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp were approached and agreed to participate in the study. Eligible students and teachers participated in cross-sectional baseline, midline, and endline surveys in November/December 2018, May/June 2019, and January/February 2020, respectively. Fourteen schools were randomly assigned to receive a violence prevention intervention targeted at teachers implemented in January–March 2019; 13 formed a wait-list control group. The EmpaTeach intervention used empathy-building exercises and group work to equip teachers with self-regulation, alternative discipline techniques, and classroom management strategies. Allocation was not concealed due to the nature of the intervention. The primary outcome was students’ self-reported experience of physical violence from teachers, assessed at midline using a modified version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool–Child Institutional. Secondary outcomes included student reports of emotional violence, depressive symptoms, and school attendance. Analyses were by intention to treat, using generalised estimating equations adjusted for stratification factors. No schools left the study. In total, 1,493 of the 1,866 (80%) randomly sampled students approached for participation took part in the baseline survey; at baseline 54.1% of students reported past-week physical violence from school staff. In total, 1,619 of 1,978 students (81.9%) took part in the midline survey, and 1,617 of 2,032 students (79.6%) participated at endline. Prevalence of past-week violence at midline was not statistically different in intervention (408 of 839 students, 48.6%) and control schools (412 of 777 students, 53.0%; risk ratio = 0.91, 95% CI 0.80 to 1.02, p = 0.106). No effect was detected on secondary outcomes. A camp-wide educational policy change during intervention implementation resulted in 14.7% of teachers in the intervention arm receiving a compressed version of the intervention, but exploratory analyses showed no difference in our primary outcome by school-level adherence to the intervention. Main study limitations included the small number of schools in the camp, which limited statistical power to detect small differences between intervention and control groups. We also did not assess the test–retest reliability of our outcome measures, and interviewers were unmasked to intervention allocation.ConclusionsThere was no evidence that the EmpaTeach intervention effectively reduced physical violence from teachers towards primary or secondary school students in Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. Further research is needed to develop and test interventions to prevent teacher violence in humanitarian settings.Trial registrationclinicaltrials.gov (NCT03745573)

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

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.

A psychometric analysis of a short form of the Chinese version of the ISPCAN child abuse screening tools – Children’s home version (SC-ICAST-CH) using multidimensional item response theory

BackgroundThe development of measures of child maltreatment for the Chinese population were limited until the Chinese version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools – Children’s Home version (ICAST-CH-C) was proposed. Although the ICAST-CH-C was found to be effective in assessing the scope and prevalence of child maltreatment, it has several potential drawbacks. The time that is required to complete the ICAST-CH-C scale is longer than usual for a 36-item scale, because many of its items have one or more follow-up questions. Moreover, each item requires child victims to recall unpleasant experiences. Both phenomena can cause increases in invalid responses and in turn damage the data quality. ObjectiveThe goal of this study was to propose a short form of the ICAST-CH-C (called the SC-ICAST-CH) to reduce the test length and response time in order to improve the measurement quality. Participants and settingA dataset from a national survey of 5236 adolescents in Taiwan was used. MethodsA multidimensional version of the rating scale model (MRSM) was fitted to the data. The model parameters were estimated with the ConQuest software. ResultsThe results indicated the reliability of the SC-ICAST-CH was fairly good, with only 61 % of the original test length. Disordered thresholds were found in all five subscales; the underlying reasons for this phenomenon need further investigation. Specific cultural differences related to item retention/removal decisions were also discussed. ConclusionThe efficient, shorter SC-ICAST-CH was shown to be a valid and reliable instrument for assessing the prevalence of child maltreatment.

Prevalence of child abuse and its association with depression among first year students of Kuwait University: a cross-sectional study.

Child maltreatment occurs across all cultures and societies. Research in Kuwait is necessary to document its prevalence and related factors. To determine the prevalence of childhood abuse reported by first year students of Kuwait University in 2010 and its association with depression. A random sample of first year undergraduates completed the Arabic version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools for young adults and were assessed for depression using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Among 2508 respondents (70.9% female), 35.6%, 53.5% and 19.8% experienced at least one form of physical, emotional and sexual abuse, respectively. Physical abuse was more prevalent among boys (P < 0.001). For emotional and sexual abuse, sex differences were not statistically significant. Physical abuse was associated with living with the father, emotional abuse with living with the mother and sexual abuse with living with non-parents (P < 0.001). Most perpetrators were non-parents. Abuse was more prevalent among students whose parents were separated/divorced, whose fathers were polygamous and where monthly family income was < US$ 1800. Depression was significantly associated with all types of abuse and in multiple regression indicated it was one of the most important predictors of physical and sexual abuse. Kuwaiti first year undergraduates commonly reported experiencing abuse. There is a strong need for child protection policies, improved legislation and prevention strategies.

The association of depression with child abuse among Indonesian adolescents

BackgroundDepression is one of the most prevalent mental health problems among adolescents. Mental health problems might be the result of child abuse considering that their prevalences are increasing simultaneously in Indonesia. The aim of this study was to determine the association between depression and a history of abuse among adolescents.MethodsAn analytic cross-sectional study was conducted on 786 junior high school students from Bandung City, West Java, Indonesia. Subjects were selected using two-stage cluster sampling. The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST) questionnaires were applied to assess depression and a history of abuse, respectively. Depression was diagnosed by a psychiatrist after a positive score on the CDI. The data were analysed using chi-square tests and multiple regression.ResultsA history of child abuse was associated with depression in adolescents. All dimensions of child abuse had a significant association with depression. Psychological violence had the highest risk factor for the occurrence of depression (PR = 6.51), followed by exposure to violence and physical violence. Sexual violence was not a common dimension of child abuse among students. Psychological violence had the strongest association with depression, and victims were three times more likely to develop depression (POR = 3.302, p = 0.004).ConclusionPsychological violence was proven to be a strong risk factor for developing depression symptoms among adolescent students. While each victimization domain remained a significant predictor of depression, the experience of multiple domains during a child’s life-course may predict mental health risk. Early detection and interventions to prevent abuse and its consequences are critical.

Effect of gender on childhood maltreatment in the state of Qatar: Retrospective study

BackgroundInternational maltreatment studies show a range of results for overall rates of child maltreatment and gender differences. The ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools (ICAST) were designed to reduce variability in data collection. ObjectiveTo investigate the influence of gender on the experiences of discipline and maltreatment in childhood among young people in Qatar, informingpractice and policy development. Participants and SettingA representative sample of Qatari youth aged between 18 and 24 years were identified using a cross sectional random household survey. The total number of subjects was 697 of whom 46.8% were male. MethodsParticipants self-administered the ICAST-R (retrospective), which includes questions about exposure below the age of 18 to potentially abusive physical, psychological and sexual behaviors. Verbal consent was obtained following an introductory explanation and assurance ofconfidentiality. ResultsAt least one form of physical abuse was reported by 22.1% of participants and was significantly higher among males (28.2%) than females (16.7%) p<0.001). A trend for greater abuse was identified among boys aged over five which become statistically significant between 10 -13 years (p=0.001). For psychological abuse the overall rates were very similar, 16.2% for girls and 15.0% for boys. Only 17 (2.5%) of participants reported sexual abuse, with no statistically significant gender difference. ConclusionsPhysical, psychological and sexual abuse all occur in Qatar. This study demonstrates the importance of identifying the role of gender and age when exploring the extent and nature of maltreatment in a population. It allows for better targeting of preventative action.

Psychometric testing of the Chinese version of ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tools Parent’s version (ICAST-P)

Child maltreatment is a world public health problem, while the characteristics of it are still unclear. A new instrument of child maltreatment, Child Abuse Screening Tool-Parents version (ICAST-P), has been established by dozens of child protection experts, and it has good reliability and validity in many countries. Yet few tools have delineated the characteristics among children aged 4–6 in Mainland China. The purposes of the present study were to translate and validate a Chinese version of the ICAST-P; delineate the characteristics of child maltreatment among Chinese children aged 4–6. Three bilingual and three monolingual experts used the modified translation procedure to translate and establish the Chinese version of the ICAST-P (ICAST-P-C), and two independent samples were recruited to estimate the internal consistency and psychometric testing of ICAST-P-C. The results showed that the similarity of interpretability of ICAST-P-C was satisfactory and the readability was appropriate in mainland China. The inter-rater agreement was 0.98 for similarity of interpretability, and with an acceptable internal consistency (0.60–0.87). A four-factor model was established by confirmatory factor analysis, which supported the conceptual dimensions of the original instrument of violence discipline. Moreover, the prevalence of physical severe discipline, physical moderate discipline, psychological discipline and neglect were 2.2%, 62.1%, 69.3%, and 10.2%, respectively. Boys were easily physically disciplined, and non-only child were easily neglected by their parents. This study translated and established the ICAST-P-C, and its reliability and validity were verified, which suggests that it is an applicable instrument for accessing child maltreatment by 4–6 years old Chinese children’s parents.

Prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ICAST-R

ObjectivesWhile the link between childhood experiences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and mental health problems has been largely studied, there is limited information regarding the prevalence of child maltreatment in developing countries, particularly in South America. The present study is an effort to investigate the prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Retrospective version (ICAST-R). MethodA student sample (males = 1579; females = 1554) from the seven largest universities in Quito, Ecuador, completed the ICAST-R. ResultsOur findings indicate that 69.6 % of participants experienced child maltreatment. Physical abuse was reported by 47.6 % of respondents; this commonly involved being beaten by parents. Emotional maltreatment was reported by 53 % of the participants; mostly through insults by same-sex peers and parents. Sexual abuse was reported by 15.5 % of the participants. The most prevalent forms of sexual abuse included being coerced into touching another person’s genitals, having their genitals touched by others, or having someone expose their genitals to them. Sexual abuse was more prevalent amongst females (males = 12.9 %; females = 18.1 %, OR = 1.49; CI = 1.22–1.81), and physical abuse was more prevalent amongst males (males = 50.5 %; females = 44.6 %, OR = 0.79; CI = 0.69-0.91). ConclusionsOur study shows evidence of a high prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador. We also identify significant gender differences in the type of abuse experienced, and in the context in which this abuse takes place. These results are important given the negative consequences of child maltreatment. More research applying ICAST to different populations is recommended to further validate the present findings and facilitate international comparisons.

The Relationship of Child Abuse and Functional Constipation in Children: A Case-Control Study

Background: Child abuse is a serious global problem and can be in the form of physical, sexual, emotional or neglect by not providing for the child's needs. Functional constipation (FC) is a common functional gastrointestinal (GI) disorder in children. This study was aimed to assess the relationship between child abuse and functional constipation in children. Materials and Methods In this age frequency-matched case-control study, 100 children with FC were compared with 100 healthy children as control. The diagnosis of FC was based on history and physical examination. Child abuse in three sub-groups (physical, emotional and neglect) were assessed by ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Children's Version (ICAST-C). The data were analyzed by Stata software (version 13.0). Results: The results of this study revealed that the frequency of any kind of child abuse in case (children with functional constipation), and control group (children without functional constipation) is 93% and 84%, respectively, OR: 2.53 (95% CI: 1.00-6.45), P=0.052. The most frequent abuse in both groups was emotional abuse (91% vs. 81%) followed by physical (61% vs. 47%), and neglect (19% vs. 8%). There was a significant association between frequency of emotional (OR: 2.37, P=0.046), physical (OR: 1.76, P=0.048) and neglect abuse (OR: 2.70, P=0.027) among case and control groups. However, after controlling the confounding variables, the association between child abuse and FC remained clinically important but was not statistically significant (P>0.05). Conclusion Notwithstanding emotional abuse, physical abuse and child neglect rate were more frequent among children with FC, this study demonstrates that child abuse is not associated with FC occurrence.

Children's exposure to physical abuse from a child perspective: A population-based study in rural Bangladesh.

BackgroundAlthough child physical abuse (CPA) is considered as a major global public health problem, it has not yet been recognized as such in Bangladesh. Very few studies have assessed the prevalence and victims’ characteristics of multiple forms of CPA.ObjectiveThis population-based study assessed the prevalence of CPA committed by adults in a rural area of Bangladesh and examined its association with demographic and socio-contextual factors.MethodsData were obtained using ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool for Children (ICAST-C) in a random sample of 1416 children (49% girls, 51% boys) aged 11 to 17 years by face-to-face interviews during March-April 2017. The response rate was 91.5%. To estimate predictors of CPA, physical abuse was categorized into frequent and less frequent groups.ResultsThe prevalence of at least one form (≥ 1), two forms (≥2) and three or more forms (≥ 3) of CPA were estimated approximately to 99%, 95% and 83% in their lifetime and 93%, 79%, and 57% in the past year respectively. Hitting (except on buttocks), standing/kneeling and slapping were the most common physical abuse whereas given drugs or alcohol, pinched, burned or scalded, beaten-up and locked up were less reported. Female children were faced severe forms of CPA more than that of males. Male children, younger age groups, witnessing adults using weapons at home, bullied by siblings and low level of maternal education were found to be significant risk factors for both ≥ 1 form and ≥ 2 forms of frequent CPA whereas adding also adult shouting in a frightening way was found as a significant risk factor for ≥ 2 forms of frequent CPA.ConclusionSelf-reported prevalence of CPA is extremely common in the Bangladeshi rural society. The prevalence was associated with demographic and socio-contextual characteristics of the children such as being younger, witnessing domestic violence and maternal low education. The findings provide evidence to support parents and policy-makers to take effective measures to implement policy and programme on alternative up-bringing methods and creating awareness of negative effects of CM which in turn help Bangladesh to line up with UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which the country signed in 1990.

Childhood Victimization by Adults and Peers and Health-Risk Behaviors in Adulthood.

Victimization experienced in childhood has been linked with health-risk behaviors (HRBs) in adulthood. The purpose of this cross-sectional survey was to provide data regarding the HRBs using the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Retrospective version (ICAST-R), Spanish version. This aimed to broaden existing knowledge by assessing both being victimized by adults and by peers in a Spanish general population of 348, aged 18-35. Age and timing of the reported victimization were also considered. Victimization: physical, psychological, sexual abuse by adults and/or peers showed a prevalence of 44.54%. Of these, 41.29% reported abuse by both. Children victimized by adults, regardless of type, were significantly associated to be psychologically abused by their peers (p &lt; .001). Moreover, psychological maltreatment by adults was significantly associated with two peer victimizations: Physical and psychological (p &lt; .001 in both). Regarding HRBs, peer victimized groups showed significantly higher levels of severity than non-victimized, with a higher proportion reporting attempted suicide (p &lt; .05) and psychological or psychiatric treatment (p &lt; .05). Participants victimized only by adults reported higher number of HRBs (p &lt; .01), their victimization was associated to more severe abuse of drugs/alcohol (p ≤ .05), and suicide attempts (p &lt; .05). Those victimized by adults and peers received treatment in higher proportion than non-victims (p &lt; .001). Participants reporting victimization since before 5 years to age of 17, compared with non-victimized, showed more substance abuse (p &lt; .05), attempted suicide (p &lt; .01) and receipt of treatment (p &lt; .05). These findings highlight the relevance of ICAST-R in studying HRBs.