The Impact of Child Abuse on the Psycho-Spiritual and Religious Status of Maltese College Students

Abstract

This correlational study examined the potential effects of child abuse history on the psycho-spiritual status of Maltese college students. Data collected from 312 subjects indicated that 10.9% of the sample qualified as "severely" abused. Furthermore, in examining the correlations noted above, a sequential pattern of relationships appeared to emerge, which was clarified through a path analysis. Child abuse seems to impact more selectively closer to the traumatic experience. Results also point at spirituality as a potential resource in treating child abuse. The social and pastoral implications of these findings were discussed.Keywords Child abuse . Psychology of religion . Spirituality Child abuse is an important reality that can seriously inhibit children's normal development and their psycho-spiritual status (Doehring 1993;Flaherty 1992;Hall 1995). This could be particularly true in cultures where abuse is not given appropriate and immediate attention, as in Malta. A recent United Nations (UN) report on children's well-being highlighted the situation in Malta and called for the proper appraisal of this reality to fight maltreatment successfully. This study is aimed at evaluating the prevalence and impact of child abuse on the psycho-spiritual, religious and personality status of a sample of Maltese college students. In particular, childhood maltreatment was found to have a complex array of relationships to these key variables, with varied implications for the adjustment and well-being of victims.

Does Child Maltreatment Mediate Family Environment and Psychological Well-Being?

“…Kane, Cheston and Greer [20] considered this element important in that "transference might easily occur in a child's mind from father the abuser to God the Father". In related studies, spirituality but not religiosity predicted subjective well-being [21,22].…”

“…Malta does not have the necessary resources to protect children from child abuse, nor any mandatory reporting laws. Galea reiterates that statistics are scarce, and child protective services are still in their infancy [22]. More awareness and research is required for better and timely response.…”

Studying the Incremental Validity of Family Environment among Maltese University Students with Past Mental Trauma

“…Kane et al (1993) considered this element important, in that transference might easily occur in a child's mind from father the abuser to God the Father. In related studies, spirituality but not religiosity predicted subjective well-being (Ciarrocchi and Deneke 2004;Galea 2008).…”

“…Galea et al (2007) surveyed Maltese university students on various aspects of childhood trauma and found that almost 11% qualified as severely abused. Interestingly, it was furthermore suggested that spirituality may serve as a potential resource in treating victims of childhood maltreatment (Galea 2008(Galea , 2009.…”

Healing the Healers: A Profile of Strengths and Weaknesses of Catholic Priests in Gozo, Malta

“…Gorsuch (1994b) indicated four reasons for such assessment: spirituality predicts health outcomes; it is an important part of many people's worldviews; the functioning of spirituality changes over time; and finally, spirituality variables can also be useful as aspects of intervention. Although many studies have suggested the potential usefulness of spirituality as a resource for coping with negative events (Galea et al 2007;Galea 2008;Sullivan 1993), it is still unclear how such interaction occurs. Spirituality was incorporated in this study as it was deemed particularly relevant in the life and vocational satisfaction of priests.…”