Citation

Gmitrowicz A, Lewandowska A. Psychiatr. Psychol. Klin. 2008; 8(4): 192-203.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Medical Communications)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of consequences of experience of physical violence in school-age adolescents and analysis of selected risk factors in victims of physical violence in the study population. Over the school year 2006/2007, we performed an anonymous questionnaire-based study among adolescents attending randomly selected secondary schools in Łódź, Poland (N= 1445; thereof 62% were males). The questionnaire included closed questions addressing responders' family structure, academic performance, legal status, abuse of psychoactive substances, level of self-esteem, emotional disturbances including deliberate self-harm and suicidal ideas. Experience of physical violence was defined according to selected criteria concerning response to severe stress (F43 acc. to ICD-10), i.e. experience of direct mental or other consequences for at least one hour. Over 1/5 of adolescents included in the study have experienced physical violence at least once in their life. Institutionalised persons have experienced physical violence most often and those brought up in incomplete families. In the study population, most frequent direct consequences of exposure to physical violence were anger and aggression. As compared with their peers who have not experienced physical violence, adolescents who have had such experiences significantly more often reported feelings of lack of control, anxiety, sadness, truancy, escapes, consumption of alcohol and abuse of psychoactive substances. In this population, elevated risk of experiencing physical violence was associated with outbreaks of anger, male gender and experience of mental violence and deliberate self-harm. Furthermore, a correlation was found between experience of physical violence and pathological phenomena in the responders' family, e.g. mental disorders, abuse of psychoactive substances, suicidal attempts and deliberate self-harm.

Language: pl

Keywords

adolescent; Risk factors; human; violence; Adolescent; female; male; sex difference; aggression; anger; anxiety; suicide attempt; risk assessment; Physical violence; emotional disorder; risk factor; child behavior; substance abuse; alcohol consumption; article; major clinical study; disease association; family life; child psychiatry; automutilation; mental stress; institutionalization; Victim; personal experience; Emotional disorders