The effect of child abuse on children’s psychological health

Abstract

The study examines the impact of child abuse on children’s psychological health. Child abuse was defined as physical and psychological abuses against children whilst psychological health was defined in relation to children’s self-esteem, depression, and anxiety. 109 children were purposively sampled to partake in the study. The sample consisted of both males (n = 68) and females (n = 41) from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, whose ages were from 9 to 18 years. The research design used was a survey, and the independent samples t-test was used to analyze the data. Some of the participants have histories of abusive treatment (n=57) whilst others were without any such history (n=68). Among those who had suffered abusive treatment, 36 suffered physical abuse and 21 suffered psychological abuse. Standardized measures were used to rate each participant’s level of depression and anxiety. The analyses of the data show that both physical and psychological abuses lead to a significant increase in children’s depression and anxiety. These findings are discussed with reference to existing psychological literature and theories.