Violence against children, later victimisation, and mental health: a cross-sectional study of the general Norwegian population

Abstract

BackgroundViolence in childhood is associated with mental health problems and risk of revictimisation. Less is known about the relative importance of the various types of childhood and adult victimisation for adult mental health.ObjectiveTo estimate the associations between various types of childhood and adult violence exposure, and their combined associations to adult mental health.MethodThis study was a cross-sectional telephone survey of the Norwegian adult population; 2,435 women and 2,092 men aged 18–75 participated (19.3% of those we tried to call and 42.9% of those who answered the phone). The interview comprised a broad array of violence exposure in both childhood and adulthood. Anxiety/depression was measured by the Hopkins Symptom Check List (HSCL-10).ResultsVictimisation was commonly reported, for example, child sexual abuse (women: 10.2%, men: 3.5%), childhood–parental physical violence (women: 4.9%, men: 5.1%), and lifetime forcible rape (women: 9.4%, men: 1.1%). All categories of childhood violence were significantly associated with adult victimisation, with a 2.2–5.0 times higher occurrence in exposed children (p<0.05 for all associations). Anxiety/depression (HSCL-10) associated with adult abuse increased with the number of childhood violence categories experienced (p<0.001). All combinations of childhood violence were significantly associated with anxiety/depression (p<0.001 for all associations). Individuals reporting psychological violence/neglect had the highest levels of anxiety/depression.ConclusionsResults should be interpreted in light of the low response rate. Childhood violence in all its forms was a risk factor for victimisation in adulthood. Adult anxiety/depression was associated with both the number of violence categories and the type of childhood violence experienced. A broad assessment of childhood and adult violence exposure is necessary both for research and prevention purposes. Psychological violence and neglect should receive more research attention, especially in combination with other types of violence.

Childhood violence and mental health among indigenous Sami and non-Sami populations in Norway: a SAMINOR 2 questionnaire study

“…For the indigenous of the North, these findings highlight the importance of culturally informed preventive programmes focusing on the influence of childhood violence on mental health in these populations. Moreover, our findings support the findings of a recent study in the Norwegian population which found that different forms of childhood violence were a risk factor for victimisation in adulthood among Norwegians [46]. However, our study did not examine the influence of the different forms of childhood violence on adult mental health, and a more detailed examination of the different forms of violence on mental health in a Sami population is warranted.…”

The mediating role of shame in the relationship between childhood bullying victimization and adult psychosocial adjustment

“…The population study (T1) was conducted in 2013 via phone interviews that included an adolescent sample (aged 16–17 years, n  = 2062) and an adult sample (aged 18–75 years, n  = 4527) drawn from the General Population Registry of Norway (see Thoresen, Myhre, Wentzel-Larsen, Aakvaag, & Hjemdal, 2015, for more details about the procedure at T1). Of these participants, 88.6% ( N  = 5838) consented to be contacted for follow-up studies.…”

But were you drunk? Intoxication during sexual assault in Norway

“…At T1, 6589 individuals (2062 adolescents and 4527 adults) were randomly selected from the General Population Registry of Norway (T1 response rate: 42.9% in adult sample, 61.7% in adolescent sample) (Myhre, Thoresen, & Hjemdal, 2015; Thoresen, Myhre, Wentzel-Larsen, Aakvaag, & Hjemdal, 2015). The current sample (T2) was drawn from T1 participants who had consented to a follow-up interview (91%, N  = 5996), based on their reports of childhood violence; 505 participants who had been exposed to childhood violence were matched by age and gender with 506 unexposed participants.…”