The association of depression with child abuse among Indonesian adolescents

Abstract

Background: Depression 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. Methods: An 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. Results: A 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). Conclusion: Psychological 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.

Childhood Socioeconomic Status and Depressive Symptoms of Young Adults: Mediating Role of Childhood Trauma

“…Like previous studies ( 1 – 3 , 41 ), the results of the present study demonstrate the link between childhood SES and depressive symptoms in young adults. Young adults from low-SES families exhibited more severe depressive symptoms than those from high-SES families, and depressive symptoms were significantly related to low childhood SES.…”

Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and childhood maltreatment, adulthood stressful life events and depression among Lebanese university students: a structural equation modeling approach

“…In terms of association between physical abuse, neglect and depression, our research revealed that more physical abuse and neglect were associated with higher depression, which supports several previous findings. According to a recent study [ 49 ], a history of childhood maltreatment was associated with depression in adolescents. All dimensions of childhood maltreatment had a significant association with depression, with psychological violence having the most impact on the occurrence of depression, followed by exposure to violence and physical violence.…”

The Mediating Role of Forgiveness and Self-Efficacy in the Relationship Between Childhood Maltreatment and Treatment Motivation Among Malaysian Male Drug Addicts

“…Exposure to maltreatment during childhood has long been associated with an increased risk of subsequent psychological and behavioral problems across the human lifespan including mood disorders ( Norman et al, 2012 ; Lippard and Nemeroff, 2020 ), depression ( Dhamayanti et al, 2020 ), post-traumatic stress disorder ( McLaughlin et al, 2017 ; Schuck and Widom, 2019 ), borderline personality disorder ( Mainali et al, 2020 ), adult criminality ( Minh et al, 2013 ; Kim et al, 2016 ), and drug and substance abuse ( Elwyn and Smith, 2013 ; Mandavia et al, 2016 ). Studies have demonstrated that maltreatment histories are relatively common among individuals receiving treatment for substance and drug abuse ( Funk et al, 2003 ; Banducci et al, 2014 ; Loy et al, 2020a ).…”