Cohort profile: Norwegian youth study on child maltreatment (the UEVO study)

Abstract

PurposeExposure to childhood maltreatment is not uncommon, and is linked to both short-term and long-term health problems. Population-based surveys for adolescent samples provide excellent opportunities for addressing the substantial burden of early-life adversities, because collecting information close in time to exposure may increase accuracy of assessment. Still few large studies have been conducted, following individuals through adolescence. Therefore, the UEVO cohort was created with the aim of investigating prevalence of child maltreatment throughout childhood and adolescence, and its effects on health and functioning in a long-term perspective in a representative sample of Norwegian adolescents.ParticipantsThe baseline for the cohort includes a representative sample of 9240 Norwegian adolescents (response rate 86.6%) aged 12–16 years, surveyed in January and February 2019. The cohort to be followed over time comprises the 5502 adolescents who agreed to be recontacted for subsequent data collection waves.Findings to dateThe overall prevalence figures from the first wave of measurement have been published in a comprehensive national report on child maltreatment in Norway.Future plansA second study wave will commence in 2021, including about half of the original cohort (longitudinal), as well as a new sample starting at age 12. For participants above age 16, original survey data will be connected to national registries (pending indvidual consent), enabling the study of real-life functioning within the areas of healthcare utilisation, school drop-out, work-force participation and prescription of medication.

The Barriers and Facilitators to Abuse Disclosure and Psychosocial Support Needs in Children and Adolescents Around the Time of Disclosure

“…However, professional helpers such as general practitioners (GPs), school nurses, and school psychologists are less frequently confided in by children concerning child abuse and neglect (Hafstad et al, 2020;Jernbro et al, 2017). Seeking help from health professionals is often reliant upon parents' or other adults' initiative and help (Leavy et al, 2011).…”

Study protocol: the Norwegian Triple-S Cohort Study - establishing a longitudinal health survey of children and adolescents with experiences of maltreatment

“…Still, we cannot disregard the possibility that some participants’ may experience long-term improvements in their resilience as a result of their stay at the SSC. To control for this possibility, we will compare our findings with similar data from three other studies, including the UEVO-study [ 6 ] which recruited 9240 adolescents from the general population, assessing maltreatment history in detail. The UEVO-study will provide important comparative data to help illuminate any differences between the general population and participants at the SSC.…”

“…As the participants are attending the SSC while answering the initial questionnaire we expect the response rate to be higher than usual for this population [ 52 ]. A comparable study, the UEVO study, delivered questionnaires with researchers physically present and obtained a response rate of 86%, which we believe is attainable [ 6 ]. The recruitment phase for the Triple-S study started in January 2021, and currently, our response rate is approximately 85%.…”

“…The assessment batteries will include a combination of both questionnaires used in other large Norwegian epidemiological surveys (e.g. the Norwegian mother and child cohort study [ 46 ], the Bergen Child Study [ 47 ], and the Norwegian youth study on child maltreatment (the UEVO study) [ 6 ]) to enable comparisons on key variables with age-matched peers, as well as questionnaires specifically relevant for this particular cohort. Data from the three mentioned epidemiological surveys will be used for comparisons on selected variables.…”

“…A review of a series of meta-analyses on global child maltreatment estimated prevalence rates of 13% for sexual abuse, 23% for physical abuse, 36% for emotional abuse, 16% for physical neglect and 18% for emotional neglect from self-report studies assessing maltreatment during childhood [ 5 ]. In contrast, a recent Norwegian study of the general adolescent population found that 19% had experienced some form of physical abuse (including mild and severe violence), 6% had experienced sexual abuse from adults, while 22% had experienced some form of sexual abuse from peers [ 6 ].…”