XML | Respond to this article | Alert & updates | Request permissions | Email to a friend |
Background: Violence against children, a violation of basic human rights, is common. There are limited studies to date that examine the impact of child maltreatment, and mental health outcomes in adulthood.
Objective: To examine the association between child maltreatment (physical or sexual abuse, and witnessing of domestic violence [DV]), mental disorders, and re-victimization by intimate partner violence [IPV] in adulthood.
Materials and Methods: The authors used the data from the Thai National Mental Health Survey of 2013, which was a populationbased cross-sectional national survey. A representative sample of 4,727 participants, aged over 18 years, completed the diagnostic interviews (the World Mental Health-Composite International Diagnostic Interview 3.0 [WMH-CIDI 3.0]).
Results: The individuals that experienced violence during childhood (physical, sexual abuse, and witnessing of DV), are at a higher risk of developing mental disorders in adulthood, and being re-victimized in the form of IPV. Women were more likely to be associated with common mental disorders [CMD] and suicide than men, but men were observed to be more associated with substance use disorders [SUD].
Conclusion: These results provide support for the need for early intervention in those children exposed to maltreatment. Educating these families on healthier con