Lecture 1: introduction

Question 1

What is childhood maltreatment

Answer 1

Any act of commission or omission (something that is done or neglected to be done) by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. The harm does NOT need to be intended.

Question 2

Commission

Answer 2

Actively doing something harmful (physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, shaken baby syndrome).

Question 3

Omission

Answer 3

The failure to meet a child’s needs (physical neglect, emotional neglect, denial of acces to education).

Question 4

Which type of maltreatment occurs the most?

Answer 4

1. Emotional abuse: 36%
2. Physical abuse: 23%
3. Physical neglect: 16%
4. Sexual abuse: 8-18%

Question 5

Prevalence of childhood maltreatmetn

Answer 5

The registered childhood maltreatment is 3.5% of all children, but the self-report studies indicate 27%.

Question 6

Intergenerational transmission

Answer 6

In about 30% of the cases, people who were abused themselves are going to abuse their own children.

Question 7

Most common psychological consequences of childhood maltreatment

Answer 7

• Internalising and externalising disorder (depression, conduct disorder)
• Personality disorder (BPD/ anti-social)
• Psychotic symptoms
• Suicide and self-injury
• Substance abuse
• Eating disorders

Question 8

Dose-response relationship

Answer 8

The more you were maltreated, the more severe the consequences of the abuse. Disorder due to maltreatment are often early in onset, more severe/ chronic and harder to threat. There is also often a high comorbidity of disorders after maltreatment.