FAMILIAL CIRCUMSTANCES AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES IN ADOLOSCENTS WITH HISTORY OF CHILDHOOD ABUSE

Violence, child abuse and neglect, which can lead to physical, psychological and social impairment and cause serious long-term consequences, are widespread throughout the world. The aim of our study is to examine the characteristics of the family and the emotional-behavioral difficulties of adolescents who were abused in childhood, compared with those who did not experience abuse. Sixty participants of both genders aged 12 to 18 years were divided into two groups (abused adolescents and the control group). The medical documentation and the self-report questionnaire for youth (SRQY) were used for data collection.The data were analyzed by JASP 0.8.5.1 by ANOVA. 46.67% of adolescents reported that they experienced neglect, 10% physical abuse, 3.33% emotional abuse, and 40% have suffered from several types of abuse. Usually, they are abused by both parents. In abusive families, the average number of siblings, divorced and single parents is higher than in non-abusive families and the level of parents' education is lower compared with the control group.The adolescents with abusive experience have more somatic disturbances, delinquency, and aggressive behavior (p<0.01) than controls.Adolescents with childhood neglect and abuse develop multiple psychopathological difficulties that require psychological and psychiatric intervention to prevent the negative consequences in adulthood.