Experience more mental health problems than other children

Main Findings

• Increased risk of mental health issues: Children and young people exposed to violence and abuse have more mental health difficulties than their peers.
• The more burdens, the greater the distress: Having experienced multiple types of violence and abuse leads to more severe mental health challenges.
• The connection is extensive and spans multiple areas: Violence and abuse affect mental health broadly, including emotional difficulties, behavioral problems, issues with attention and hyperactivity, and social relationships.

Results

Children and adolescents who had experienced maltreatment had more mental health difficulties compared to other children of the same age. Mental health difficulties increased in line with how many forms of maltreatment the children had been exposed to.

These problems included emotional issues, attention difficulties and hyperactivity, behavioral problems, difficulties with peers, and a reduced ability to function in daily life.

Positive behavior, such as being kind and helpful, was affected to a lesser extent.

The study found that being exposed to multiple forms of maltreatment had increasing negative consequences for children and adolescents. The problems affected important areas such as school, relationships with peers, and family.

No significant differences were found between genders in the correlation between maltreatment and mental health difficulties.

Read the full study here