Parental child maltreatment is a serious public health issue worldwide. As mothers take on a significant proportion of parenting duties in two-parent families, knowledge of maternal risk factors for child maltreatment is essential.
Methods
In this cross-sectional study, 135 mothers with their last child under 18 years in Kurdistan province were enrolled. A validated Persian version of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool-Parent version, Beck Anxiety Inventory, and Beck Depression Inventory were administered.
Results
The prevalence of severe and moderate physical punishment was 78.5% and 71.9%, respectively. Psychological punishment was reported by 99.3% of respondents, and 48.9% reported neglect. A relationship was found between child physical and emotional abuse and low maternal education (p < 0.01), domestic violence (p = 0.02), maternal exposure to maltreatment during childhood (p = 0.03), maternal depression (p < 0.01), and maternal anxiety (p < 0.01). A relationship was also found between child neglect and residence in rural areas (p < 0.01), domestic violence, and low maternal education (p = 0.02).
Conclusion
Maternal child maltreatment in Iran is increased in mothers with psychological disorders and those with certain demographic characteristics. Clinicians should be alert to these potential risk factors.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children and Families, Administration on Children, Youth and Families, Bureau Cs. Child Maltreatment 2016. 2018. p. 1-20.
2.
NemeroffCB. Paradise lost: the neurobiological and clinical consequences of child abuse and neglect. Neuron. 2016;89(5):892-909.
3.
PhillipsNKHammenCLBrennanPANajmanJMBorW. Early adversity and the prospective prediction of depressive and anxiety disorders in adolescents. J Abnorm Child Psychol. 2005;33(1):13-24.
4.
FergussonDMBodenJMHorwoodLJ. Exposure to childhood sexual and physical abuse and adjustment in early adulthood. Child Abuse Negl. 2008;32(6):607-619.
5.
BebbingtonPJonasSKuipersE, et al.Childhood sexual abuse and psychosis: data from a cross-sectional national psychiatric survey in England. Br J Psychiatry. 2011;199(1):29-37.
6.
SwannellSMartinGPageA, et al.Child maltreatment, subsequent non-suicidal self-injury and the mediating roles of dissociation, alexithymia and self-blame. Child Abuse Negl. 2012;36(7-8):572-584.
7.
HibbardRADeschLWAmerican Academy of Pediatrics Committee on Child Abuse and NeglectAmerican Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children With Disabilities. Maltreatment of children with disabilities. Pediatrics. 2007;119(5):1018-1025.
8.
WuSSMaC-XCarterRL, et al.Risk factors for infant maltreatment: a population-based study. Child Abuse Negl. 2004;28(12):1253-1264.
9.
KolkoDJ. Characteristics of child victims of physical violence: Research findings and clinical implications. J Interpers Violence. 1992;7(2):244-276.
10.
KelleherKChaffinMHollenbergJFischerE. Alcohol and drug disorders among physically abusive and neglectful parents in a community-based sample. Am J Public Health. 1994;84(10):1586-1590.
11.
SidebothamPHeronJ ALSPAC Study Team. Child maltreatment in the “children of the nineties”: A cohort study of risk factors. Child Abuse Negl. 2006;30(5):497-522.
12.
MulderTMKuiperKCvan der PutCEStamsGJJMAssinkM. Risk factors for child neglect: A meta-analytic review. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;77:198-210.
13.
Conrad-HiebnerAByramE. The temporal impact of economic insecurity on child maltreatment: A systematic review. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2020;21(1):157-178.
14.
SchnitzerPGEwigmanBG. Child deaths resulting from inflicted injuries: household risk factors and perpetrator characteristics. Pediatrics. 2005;116(5):e687-e693.
RaymondSDucasseMVAzoulayMGasmanI. Maternal filicide and mental illness: A descriptive study of 17 women hospitalized in a French secure unit over a 24-year period. J Forensic Sci. 2021;66(5):1818-1828.
17.
DoukiZEEsmaeiliMRVaezzadehN, et al.Maternal child abuse and its association with maternal anxiety in the socio-cultural context of iran. Oman Med J. 2013;28(6):404-409.
18.
StephensonRSheikhattariPAssasiN, et al.Child maltreatment among school children in the Kurdistan Province, Iran. Child Abuse Negl. 2006;30(3):231-245.
19.
Yoosefi LebniJMansourianMHossain TaghdisiM, et al.A study of Kurdish women’s tragic self-immolation in Iran: a qualitative study. Burns. 2019;45(7):1715-1722.
20.
SherinKMSinacoreJMLiX-QZitterREShakilAShAkilA. HITS: a short domestic violence screening tool for use in a family practice setting. Fam Med. 1998;30:508-512.
21.
ShirzadiMFakhariATarvirdizadehKFarhangS. Psychometric Properties of HITS Screening Tool (Hurt, Insult, Threaten, Scream) in Detecting Intimate Partner Violence in Iranian Women. Shiraz E Med J2019;21(3):1-5.
22.
RunyanDKDunneMPZolotorAJ, et al.The development and piloting of the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool—Parent version (ICAST-P). Child Abuse Negl. 2009;33(11):826-832.
23.
KavianiHMousaviA. Psychometric properties of the Persian version of Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Tehran University Medical Journal; 2008.
24.
GhassemzadehHMojtabaiRKaramghadiriNEbrahimkhaniN. Psychometric properties of a Persian--language version of the Beck Depression Inventory--Second edition: BDI-II-PERSIAN. Depress Anxiety. 2005;21(4):185-192.
25.
MohammadiMRZarafshanHKhaleghiA. Child Abuse in Iran: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Iran J Psychiatry. 2014;9(3):118-124.
KamalMHalilehSDarghamS, et al.Comparing disciplinary methods used by mothers in Palestine and Qatar. Child Abuse Negl. 2018;81:118-127.
29.
MalikF. Determinants of child abuse in Pakistani families: Parental acceptance-rejection and demographic variables. International Journal of Business and Social Science2010;1(1):67-80.
30.
ZhaiFGaoQ. Child maltreatment among Asian Americans: Characteristics and explanatory framework. Child Maltreat. 2009;14(2):207-224.
31.
DubowitzHKimJBlackMMWeisbartCSemiatinJMagderLS. Identifying children at high risk for a child maltreatment report. Child Abuse Negl. 2011;35(2):96-104.
32.
CharakRKootHM. Abuse and neglect in adolescents of Jammu, India: The role of gender, family structure, and parental education. J Anxiety Disord. 2014;28(6):590-598.
33.
CetinZOzozen DanaciM. A multivariate examination of the child-abuse potential of parents with children aged 0-6. Eurasian journal of educational research. 2016;16(66):71-86.
34.
DuffyJYHughesMAsnesAGLeventhalJM. Child maltreatment and risk patterns among participants in a child abuse prevention program. Child Abuse Negl. 2015;44:184-193.
35.
McCloskeyLALichterEL. The contribution of marital violence to adolescent aggression across different relationships. J Interpers Violence. 2003;18(4):390-412.
36.
Finzi-DottanRHarelG. Parents’ potential for child abuse: An intergenerational perspective. J Fam Violence. 2014;29(4):397-408.
37.
WolfordSNCooperANMcWeyLM. Maternal depression, maltreatment history, and child outcomes: The role of harsh parenting. Am J Orthopsychiatry. 2019;89(2):181-191.
38.
HajebiASharifiVAbbasinejadM, et al.Integrating Mental Health Services into the Primary Health Care System: The Need for Reform in Iran. Iran J Psychiatry. 2021;16(3):320-328.
