Child Abuse and Risky Behaviors among Youths
Supara Chaopricha MD, MSc*, Tawanchai Jirapramukpitak MD, PhD*
Affiliation : * Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
Background : Child abuse is an important health issue but it is little known how abuse experiences in childhood and current
health risk behaviors are related.
Objectives: To a) study the prevalence and characteristics of child abuse experience, b) test the hypothesis that youths with a
history of child abuse would have more health risk behaviors compared to their non-abused counterparts and c) study the
associations between child abuse experience, family and social risk factors, and current health risk behaviors.
Material and Method: A cross-sectional population survey was conducted on a sample of 488 young people aged 16-25,
living in suburban community of Pathumthani Province. Measures: The standard questionnaires used consisted of 1) The
Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) for child abuse experience 2) Health risk behaviors using Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS),
Alcohol-Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), sexual risk behavior screening test, modified Youth Risk Behavior Survey
Questionnaire to measure substance use, alcohol, sexual risk behaviors, other risk behaviors respectively. Linear regression
was performed to estimate the independent association of abuse experience with the risky behavioral outcomes.
Results : Prevalence of child abuse was approximately 30% of the sampled group. Childhood physical abuse was the most
common form of abuse (15%) while sexual abuse was the second most common (12%). There were strong graded relationships
between the number of abusive experiences and the health risk behaviors. Factors associated with having health risk
behaviors included male gender, older age, experiences of abuse, low level of parental education, friends who were involved
with potential health risk activities, and no close relatives.
Conclusion : Child abuse was not uncommon among Thai youths. Abusive experience and some family and social factors
increased the risk of risky behaviors among youth.
Keywords : Child abuse, Risk taking behaviors
