Christoffersen, Mogens Nygaard
Research on child maltreatment has suggested that children exposed to abuse and neglect exhibit various social, cognitive and emotional developmental problems. The paper explores long-term consequences and addresses the following questions: how many is exposed to child maltreatment without the knowledge of the local authorities? Will young adults suffer from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), if they have been exposed to child maltreatment? Will social support from a significant other reduce the developmental problems despite all odds? Most child-maltreatment is invisible for local authorities and hospital wards. While 5.6 percent of the birth cohort experienced physical abuse only 1.1 percent of a birth cohort was known to the local authorities, and only 0.1 percent of a birth cohort registered at a hospital ward. Less than half of child maltreatment known to the local authorities was reduced according to their files. The multivariate study found that child maltreatment is significantly associated with high risk of PTSD in young adults when interviewed 25-years old, mediators or other risk factors taken into account. The study confirms that social support for great many of the young adults is associated with a reduced risk of PTSD symptoms even when experienced poor parenting with the destructiveness of physical abuse, sexual assault, psychological maltreatment and physical neglect. ADHD symptoms turn out to be associated with later PTSD also when accounted for poor parenting and other risk factors. The study confirms that social support is statistical mediator between child maltreatment (abuse and neglect) and later PTSD reactions among young adults
18 s., utgitt av SFI - Det Nationale Forskningscenter for Velfærd i 2011.