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The impact of childhood maltreatment on young adults’ mental health: Evidence from the Philippines
Author(s) -
B. Sarmiento Cathe Ryne Denice,
Rudolf Robert
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
asian social work and policy review
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.286
H-Index - 13
eISSN - 1753-1411
pISSN - 1753-1403
DOI - 10.1111/aswp.12115
Subject(s) - mental health , metropolitan area , physical abuse , young adult , suicide prevention , psychology , poison control , aggression , child abuse , medicine , clinical psychology , psychiatry , developmental psychology , environmental health , pathology
Using a new retrospective data set on young Filipino adults, this study aims to quantify the prevalence, risk factors, and mental health consequences in later life of childhood maltreatment in the Philippines. A survey was conducted with a sample of 155 adults (83 women, 72 men) aged 18–24 living in Quezon City, the largest metropolitan city in the Philippines. Findings show that four out of five young Filipino adults experience minor physical violence during childhood, while one out of four suffer severe physical violence. Boys from less educated families that grow up in urban environments face the highest risks. While we find a strong link between childhood physical abuse and young adults’ mental health, no such effect was found for experiences of psychological aggression. Childhood physical abuse was further found to have negative effects on young adults’ family relations, social relations, and overall satisfaction with life.