Self-Reported Quality of Life of Maltreated Children Who Have Been Reported to Advice and Reporting Centers On Child Abuse and Neglect

Abstract

Objectives To examine the self-reported quality of life of maltreated children, shortly after submission of a report to an advice and reporting center on child abuse and neglect, and the extent to which child and maltreatment characteristics were associated with quality of life. Methods Participants were 228 maltreated children aged 5-16 years (M = 9.99; SD = 3.20) and their primary caregiver. Children completed the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory. One-sample t-tests were used to compare the self-reported quality of life of the maltreated children with scores from normative populations. Stepwise multiple regression analyses were used to explore whether maltreated children's age, gender and type of maltreatment were associated with their quality of life, controlling for socio-demographic characteristics. Results Significant differences were found between the study sample and three different normative populations regarding overall quality of life and the psychosocial health dimension of quality of life, indicating a poorer quality of life and psychosocial health for the maltreated children in this study. In addition, the socio-demographic characteristic of financial problems in the family as reported by the parent(s) was associated with children's poorer self-reported quality of life. Conclusions The results of this study suggest that child maltreatment is negatively related to self-reported quality of life. Future research should further address the effects of child maltreatment on quality of life after child protection system interventions. Keywords Quality of Life • Self-report • Maltreatment • Children • Adolescents Quality of life (QoL) has been defined by the World Health Organization as 'the individuals' perception of their position in life in the context of the culture and value systems in which they live, in relation to their goals, expectations, standards and concerns' (World Health Organization Quality of Life Group [WHOQOL Group] 1995, p. 1405).

The effect of complex posttraumatic stress and poverty on quality of life among adult survivors of childhood institutional maltreatment: evidence from survivors of the ‘Hyeongje Welfare Institution’ in South Korea

“…It is widely known that childhood adversities impact QoL; adolescents living in institutions have shown lower QoL than adolescents from the general population, which was attributed to their higher experiences of adversity (Greger et al, 2016 ). Childhood maltreatment and abuse have also been associated with lower QoL among both children and adult survivors (Affifi et al, 2007 ; Hoefnagels et al 2020 ; Weber et al, 2016 ). Empirical studies have shown that childhood IM predicts later adulthood physical, mental, and psychosocial problems (Carr et al, 2019 ; Carr et al, 2020 ).…”

An Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Maltreated Children and Caregivers in Southwestern Uganda

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