Trajectories of Psychopathology According to Continuation or Discontinuation of Child Abuse: A Longitudinal Observational Study

Eunji Jung, Joung-Sook Ahn, Jaehyun Han and Min-Hyuk Kim
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Eunji Jung: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-do, Korea
Joung-Sook Ahn: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-do, Korea
Jaehyun Han: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-do, Korea
Min-Hyuk Kim: Department of Psychiatry, Yonsei University Wonju College of Medicine, 20 Ilsan-ro, Wonju 26426, Gangwon-do, Korea

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 17, 1-10

Abstract: Long-term exposure to childhood abuse and occurrence of mental illness are positively correlated. Using long-term tracking data in Korea, we identified the characteristics of children and adolescents who experienced abuse and impact thereof on their psychopathology. Using the Korea Welfare Panel data, 354 teenagers in grades 4–6 of elementary school participated, were assessed at baseline, and monitored 3 years later. They were categorized into Never, Occurrence, Continuation, and Discontinuation groups according to changes in the abuse experienced. Psychopathology was evaluated using K-CBCL. Childhood abuse experience significantly affected psychopathology. At the baseline, the Continuation and Discontinuation groups had a higher severity of psychopathology than the Never group. Psychopathology at the baseline was associated with whether the patient experienced abuse that year. In the follow-up observation, the risk of psychopathology in the Occurrence and Continuation groups was higher than that in the Never group. The Discontinuation group had decreased psychopathology, which was not clinically significant in the follow-up observation (INT aRR = 2.09; 95% CI 0.61–7.13, EXT aRR = 4.23; 95% CI 1.12–16.07). Stopping abuse in late childhood reduces adolescents’ psychopathology in the long term, meaning they can recover their normal developmental trajectory according to risk groups and provide effective interventions including discontinuation of abuse.

Keywords: child abuse; maltreatment; discontinuation; psychopathology; externalizing; internalizing; longitudinal observation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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