Development and validation of a shortened version of the Child Abuse Self Report Scale (CASRS-12) in the Arabic language

The mediating role of anxiety between child abuse and pain among a sample of Lebanese adults

Pain is defined as an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience in response to a noxious stimulus. Nowadays, it is increasingly prevalent among adults and may be influenced by past experiences such as child abuse, trauma or psychiatric conditions like anxiety. Thus, this study aims to evaluate the mediating effect of anxiety between child abuse and pain among a sample of Lebanese adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2024. Participants were selected using a snowball sampling method from various Lebanese governorates, and completed a self-administered online questionnaire via Google Forms. All adults over the age of 18 were eligible to participate. The questionnaire included sociodemographic questions, the short form of McGill pain questionnaire, the generalized anxiety disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the child abuse self report scale (CASRS-12). A total of 507 Lebanese adults completed the questionnaire. The mean age was 26.80 ± 10.29 years and 73.2% were female. The results showed that anxiety partially mediated the association between child abuse and pain. Higher levels of child abuse were significantly associated with greater anxiety, which in turn was significantly associated with increased pain. Child abuse was directly associated with higher pain levels. The study highlights the relationship that child abuse has on pain in adults and its relationship with anxiety. Future research delving into the relationship between child abuse and chronic pain in adulthood is essential to better understand the underlying pathways and support effective prevention and intervention strategies.

The mediating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and anxiety in a sample of Lebanese adults

Childhood maltreatment is a widespread issue worldwide and has a significant impact on the society at multiple levels, as it affects children. Numerous studies have shown the relationship between various forms of child abuse and the development of adverse outcomes in affected individuals. This study aims to assess the mediating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and anxiety among a sample of Lebanese adults. This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and April 2024; 507 participants were recruited using a snowball sampling method. The results of the mediation analysis were adjusted over sex and physical activity. Distress tolerance partially mediated the association between child abuse and anxiety (indirect effect: Beta = 0.01; Boot SE = 0.01; Boot CI 0.001; 0.02). Higher child abuse was significantly associated with less distress tolerance and directly associated with more anxiety. Higher distress tolerance was significantly associated with less anxiety. The mediating role of distress tolerance in the relationship between childhood maltreatment and anxiety as a mental health outcome was established in this study. Thus, this study highlights the importance of enhancing distress tolerance through therapeutic means including Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. By doing so, individuals can learn to cope with anxiety caused by childhood maltreatment.

The Relationship Between Early Maladaptive Schemas and Intimate Partner Violence Against Women: The Moderating Effect of Childhood Trauma

The study objectives were to test the hypothesis that childhood trauma moderates the associations between early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and intimate partner violence (IPV) among women in the specific Lebanese patriarchal context. This is a cross-sectional study that was conducted on Lebanese women between September and December 2018; 1,655 participants enrolled in this study were from all of Lebanon's governorates and were selected using an equitable representative sample. The "Disconnection and Rejection" EMS domain showed the strongest correlations with both physical and nonphysical IPV (r = .46 and r = .51, respectively) in our sample. Moderation analyses findings showed that at low, moderate, and high levels of childhood trauma, greater endorsement of the "Disconnection and Rejection" schema domain was strongly linked to more severe physical and nonphysical IPV. Furthermore, childhood trauma (only at high levels) emerged as a significant moderator in the link between the "Impaired autonomy and performance" domain and physical/nonphysical IPV. High levels of childhood trauma significantly moderated the association between "Other directedness" and nonphysical IPV. Finally, low levels of childhood trauma moderated the link between "Over-vigilance and Inhibition" and physical IPV. Given that EMS are known to be resistant to change, identifying childhood trauma as a moderator in the link between certain specific EMS and IPV can provide novel avenues for the prevention IPV and its long-lasting detrimental consequences. Childhood trauma can be regarded as a target for prevention and intervention, as it can assist in mitigating correlations between EMS and IPV occurrence.

Relationship between childhood trauma and postpartum psychotic experiences: the role of postnatal anxiety and depression as mediators

BACKGROUND

Postpartum psychosis (PP) is a psychological emergency requiring rapid intervention, hospitalization and psychiatric management. However, PP has been neglected in the postpartum literature. Understanding the detrimental consequences of childhood trauma across mother's life span is crucial to prevent this serious condition. The study's objectives were to demonstrate the relationship between childhood trauma and postpartum psychotic experiences (PPEs) and to look over the mediating role of postnatal depression (PD) and anxiety (PA) in this relationship.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study, which enrolled 438 postpartum females 4-6 weeks after delivery (mean age: 31.23 ± 5.24 years), was carried out from September 2022 to June 2023. The Arabic validated versions of the Postpartum Psychotic Experiences Scale, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, the Perinatal Anxiety Screening Scale, and the Child Abuse Self Report Scale were used.

RESULTS

Both PD and PA partially mediated the correlation between psychological abuse and PPEs, and fully mediated the association between neglect and PPEs. Higher psychological abuse and neglect were significantly associated with higher PD (Beta = 1.11) and PA (Beta = 3.94), higher PD (Beta = 0.84) and PA (Beta = 0.26) were significantly associated with higher PPEs in both models, whereas greater child psychological abuse (Beta = 1.37) (but not neglect) was directly and strongly correlated with higher PPEs in all models.

CONCLUSION

The significant mediating effect of PA and PD on the association between childhood adversities and PPEs among postpartum females may offer additional therapeutic avenues to help attenuate various postpartum mental health issues and their potential serious risks on both mother and child.

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.

The relationship between maternal-infant bonding and postpartum depression/anxiety: moderating effect of childhood psychological abuse and validation of the Mother-to-Infant Bonding scale (MIBS-8) in Arabic

BACKGROUND

The emotional bond that a mother senses to her infant is essential to their social, emotional, and cognitive development. Understanding the level of mother-infant bonding plays an imperative role in the excellence of care. However, in Lebanon, there is a paucity of information about mother-infant bonding in the postpartum period. Given that Lebanese pregnant women constitute an important part of the population to look at, the objectives of the study were to (1) validate the Arabic version of the mother-infant bonding scale and (2) the relation between mother-infant bond and postpartum depression/anxiety; (3) the moderating effect of child abuse in the association between mother-infant bond and postpartum depression/anxiety.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2022 until June 2023, enrolling 438 women 4-6 weeks after delivery (mean age: 31.23 ± 5.24 years). To examine the factor structure of the mother-infant bond scale, we used an Exploratory-Confirmatory (EFA-CFA) strategy. To check if the model was adequate, several fit indices were calculated: the normed model chi-square (χ2/df), the Steiger-Lind root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI) and the comparative fit index (CFI).

RESULTS

EFA was conducted on the first subsample. Three items were removed. The five items remaining loaded on one factor, which explained 73.03% of the common variance (ω = .91 / α = .90). After adding a correlation between residuals for items 2-7 and 5-8, fit indices of the CFA results were acceptable: χ2/df = 6.97/3 = 2.32, RMSEA = .068 (90% CI .001, .135), SRMR = .017, CFI = .996, TLI = .988. The interaction maternal-infant bonding by child psychological abuse was significantly associated with depression and anxiety respectively. At low, moderate and high levels of child psychological abuse, higher maternal-infant bonding scores (greater difficulty in bonding) were significantly associated with higher depression and higher anxiety respectively.

CONCLUSION

This study provides, for the first time, a specific Arabic scale to assess mother-infant bonding reliably and validly. Furthermore, our study has suggested the existence of factors that have additive effects in potentiating the risk for depression and anxiety among Lebanese postpartum women, namely a history of psychological child abuse. Therefore, laborious awareness programs and healthcare services need to be implemented in order to prevent maternal mental health disorders from being unrecognized and left untreated.

Child maltreatment among deaf and hard-of-hearing adolescent students: associations with depression and anxiety

Objective

Child abuse and neglect have several short- and long-term consequences for the victim. Though Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children are at higher risk of being maltreated as compared to hearing children, little research in Saudi Arabia has focused on this population. To determine the prevalence of child maltreatment and to examine its association with depression and anxiety among a sample of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students in Saudi Arabia, recruited from secondary schools in southern Saudi Arabia.

Methods

The sample included 186 Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing students aged 14-17 years (M = 15.7 years; SD = 3.41 years). Data were collected using the Child Abuse Self-Report Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale for Children, and Generalized Anxiety Disorder Questionnaire. Bivariate and Linear regression analyses were conducted using SPSS 20.

Results

About 47.3% of the students were exposed severe to very severe child maltreatment. The severity of maltreatment varied based on parents' educational and income level, number of children in the family, the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing student's gender, and parents' hearing status. Linear regression analysis indicated that child maltreatment was a significant predictor of depression and anxiety in this sample.

Conclusion

Considering the socio-demographic factors influencing the prevalence of maltreatment in the present study, it seems important to work with parents of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing children to improve their skills in rearing a child with special needs. Addressing the social stigma and social barriers experienced by DHH individuals through familial, institutional, and community interventions may be a first step toward long-term prevention of maltreatment among DHH children.

Mediating effect of suicidal ideation in the association between child abuse and premenstrual syndrome among female adults

INTRODUCTION

Premenstrual symptoms encompass a range of physical, emotional, and behavioral changes that cyclically occur before menstruation. Childhood abuse has been associated with subsequent mental health challenges, yet its relationship with exacerbating premenstrual symptoms remains an understudied area. Furthermore, suicidal ideation often emerges from traumatic backgrounds such as child abuse, creating another layer of complexity. Given the rising suicide rates in Lebanon, and the concurrent increase in reported child abuse cases, this research focuses on the role of suicidal ideation as a mediator between child abuse and premenstrual syndrome.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved 915 female university students in Lebanon. Participants completed an online questionnaire encompassing demographic details, health lifestyle, the Premenstrual Symptoms Screening Tool (PSST), Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS), and Child Abuse Self Report Scale (CASRS-12). The mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS MACRO v3.4 model 4; three pathways derived from this analysis: pathway A from the independent variable to the mediator, pathway B from the mediator to the dependent variable, Pathway C indicating the direct effect from the independent to the dependent variable.

RESULTS

The results of the mediation analysis showed that suicidal ideation mediated the association between all types of child abuse and the presence of PMS. Higher psychological (Beta = 0.21; p < 0.001), neglect (Beta = 0.02; p = 0.017), physical (Beta = 0.19; p < 0.001) and sexual (Beta = 0.20, p < 0.001) child abuse were significantly associated with higher suicidal ideation, which was significantly associated with the presence of PMS (Beta = 0.38, p = 0.001; Beta = 0.57, p < 0.001; Beta = 0.45, p < 0.001; and Beta = 0.50, p < 0.001) respectively. Finally, higher psychological (Beta = 0.17, p < 0.001), physical (Beta = 0.11, p = 0.024), but not sexual (Beta = 0.07, p = 0.198) child abuse was directly and significantly associated with the presence of PMS, whereas higher neglect (Beta = -0.06, p = 0.007) was significantly associated lower odds of having PMS.

CONCLUSION

This study highlights the mediating role of suicidal ideation in the complex association between different types of childhood abuse and premenstrual symptoms. The findings emphasize the need for trauma-informed care and tailored interventions to address the diverse impact of these factors. Recognizing the intricate relationships between child abuse, suicidal ideation, and PMS can aid healthcare providers in comprehensively addressing young women's mental and reproductive well-being. Trauma-informed care, tailored interventions and awareness of potential connections between childhood maltreatment are essential in managing these complex challenges.