TY - JOUR
PY - 2017//
TI - Childhood maltreatment, psychopathology and well-being: the mediator role of global self-esteem, attachment difficulties and substance use
JO - Child abuse and neglect
A1 - Greger, Hanne K.
A1 - Myhre, Arne K.
A1 - Klöckner, Christian A.
A1 - Jozefiak, Thomas
SP - 122
EP - 133
VL - 70
IS -
N2 - Childhood maltreatment is known to be associated with a broad variety of psychopathology and deteriorated well-being in adolescent populations. In the present nationwide study, we aimed to explore global self-esteem, attachment difficulties and substance use as possible mediators of these associations in a high-risk adolescent population. We included 400 adolescents (aged 12-20 years) living in residential youth care in Norway (response rate 67%). The participants completed a semistructured psychiatric interview (Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Assessment (CAPA)), a study-specific questionnaire, a revised version of the Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (SPPA) and the Questionnaire for Measuring Health-related Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents (KINDL-R). Information was also provided by the adolescent's primary contact at the institution. Two models were tested using structural equation modelling; one assessed the association between childhood maltreatment and psychopathology, and one assessed the association between childhood maltreatment and well-being. Childhood maltreatment, psychopathology, well-being, global self-esteem and attachment difficulties were treated as latent variables, and substance use was added as an observed variable. The results of this study showed that global self-esteem was a mediator of paths in both models, whereas attachment difficulties and substance use were not. Preventing decline in health and well-being in high-risk adolescents is a main goal, and this study suggests that improving self-esteem, in addition to providing psychiatric health services, could be an important tool for achieving this goal.
Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0145-2134 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2017.06.012 ID - ref1 ER -