Work

The Harmful Effect of Child Maltreatment on Economic Outcomes in Adulthood

Year: 2018

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of maltreatment during childhood on subsequent financial strain during adulthood and the extent to which this effect is mediated by adolescent depressive symptoms, adolescent substance abuse, attenuated educational achievement, and timing of first birth. METHODS: We specified a multilevel path model to examine the developmental cascade of child maltreatment. We used data from a longitudinal panel study of 496 parents participating in the Rochester Intergenerational Study, in Rochester, New York. Data were collected between 1988 and 2016. RESULTS: Child maltreatment had both a direct and indirect (via the mediators) effect on greater financial strain during adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Maltreatment has the capacity to disrupt healthy development during adolescence and early adulthood and puts the affected individual at risk for economic difficulties later in life. Maltreatment is a key social determinant for health and prosperity, and initiatives to prevent maltreatment and provide mental health and social services to victims are critical.

Source: American Journal of Public Health

DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2018.304635

Authors: Kimberly L. Henry, Celia J. Fulco, Melissa T. Merrick

Institutions: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Colorado State University

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: green

Funders: National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development