Prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ICAST-R

Reliability and validity of the short version of the childhood abuse self report scale in Chinese college students

BACKGROUND

The reliability and validity of the current scale for measuring childhood abuse in China are worrying. The development of the Short Version of the Childhood Abuse Self Report Scale (CASRS-12) helps to change this situation, but the effectiveness of the tool has not yet been tested in Chinese participants. This study aims to test the reliability and validity of the CASRS‑12 in Chinese college students.

METHODS

A total of 932 college students were investigated, of whom 418 were investigated for the first time, and only the CASRS‑12 was filled out. In the second survey, 514 participants filled out the CASRS‑12, Depression Scale, Self-esteem Scale and Subjective Well-being Scale in turn. After 4 weeks, 109 participants were selected for retest.

RESULTS

Each item of the CASRS‑12 had good discrimination. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (χ2/df = 4. 18, RMSEA = 0. 079, CFI = 0. 95, TLI = 0. 94, IFI = 0. 95, NFI = 0. 94) all supported the four-factor structure of the scale, and the cumulative contribution rate of variance was 76.05%. Cronbach's α coefficient and retest reliability were 0.86 and 0.65, respectively. Childhood abuse was positively correlated with depression (r = 0. 42, p < 0.01), and negatively correlated with self-esteem (r=-0. 33, p < 0.01) and subjective well-being (r=-0. 32, p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

The Chinese version of CASRS‑12 meets the measurement standard and could be used to measure the level of childhood abuse of Chinese college students.

Systematic Review and Critical Appraisal of Five of the Most Recurrently Validated Child Maltreatment Assessment Instruments from 2010 to 2020

Assessment of child maltreatment has been inconsistent across literature due to its complexity, multidimensionality, and the variety of conceptualizations of this construct. Five instruments have recurrently examined psychometric properties across the last years of research: Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure, Child Abuse Potential Inventory, Identification of Parents at Risk for child Abuse and Neglect, and Psychosocial Screening Tool. This article aims to examine and wrap up the knowledge regarding the psychometric properties of these instruments. A systematic review was performed through three of the most relevant databases in order to identify the most validated instruments to assess child maltreatment from 2010 to 2020, and 19 research articles were identified. Results indicate that there is a lack of information regarding some psychometric properties and therefore, in the light of this information, it is not possible to clearly determine if there are instruments with stronger scientific evidence for their psychometric properties, although the Maltreatment and Abuse Chronology of Exposure Scale (MACE) obtained the strongest psychometric evidence. This systematic review provided a comprehensive review on the main psychometric properties of five child maltreatment instruments in order to facilitate researchers and child welfare professionals the selection of the most suitable instrument for their specific purpose. We recommend addressing these gaps of information by further examining the psychometric properties of these instruments, and developing valid and reliable instruments for early detection in child maltreatment.

Determining the Prevalence of Child Maltreatment Among Young Adults in Saudi Arabia Using ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool

Background Child maltreatment is an important public health issue, thus determining its prevalence is critical to recognize the extent of the problem and mandate efforts to combat child abuse. We aimed to investigate child maltreatment prevalence among special populations of young adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods We used the retrospective version of the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (ISPCAN) Child Abuse Screening Tool (ICAST-R). The survey included Saudi students of both genders aged between 18 to 24 years old and attending King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences (KSAU-HS). The questionnaire was provided electronically using Survey Monkey (Momentive Global Inc., San Mateo, CA, USA). Results A total of 713 students completed all sections of the questionnaire. The prevalence of any type of child maltreatment was estimated to be 42%. Physical abuse was the most prevalent (51.1%), followed by emotional abuse (49.9%), lack of protection and safety (38%), and sexual abuse (29.6%). The most common form of physical abuse was being hit or punched at 77.5% followed by 'beaten very hard with an object' at 58.8% while touching was the most common form of sexual abuse at 68.7%, and only 13.7% encountered penetrating form of sexual abuse. In comparison to female victims, male victims were more likely to be physically abused (odds ratio (OR)=1.5; confidence interval (CI)=1.1-2.0). Participants who lived with a single parent were more likely to be victims of a lack of protection and safety than those who lived with both parents (OR=1.9; CI=1.0-3.7). Most participants reported the abuse to occur after the age of nine years, and the perpetrator was the parents in 17.5% of cases.  Conclusion Our findings demonstrated a high prevalence of child maltreatment among the young adult population in Saudi Arabia. It is vital to obtain more information on the prevalence and risk factors of child maltreatment in various populations and regions of Saudi Arabia to raise awareness and improve services for the victims of abuse.