Association between Parental Addiction and Types of Child Abuse in High-School Students of Kerman, Iran

Abstract

Background: Child abuse is one of the vulnerabilities that threaten child's physical and mental health in childhood and is associated with serious short-term and long-term complications. The present study aimed to review the association of parental addiction with types of child abuse in high-school students of Kerman, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 360 students were recruited and studied through cluster sampling method. Abuse and the related factors were assessed using a standard self-report 48-item questionnaire. Findings: Average child abuse among the study subjects was 27.6%. Physical behavior, negligence, and emotional abuse were seen in 9.7%, 23.6%, and 17.9% of the subjects, respectively. Parental addiction had a significant association (P = 0.001) with incidence of all the child abuse domains. Conclusion: Special consideration to families of addicted parents and early identification of child abuse cases may prevent the adverse side effects. Keywords: Child abuse, Physical abuse, Emotional abuse, Neglect, Parents, Addiction