Child abuse and risky behaviors among youths

Background: Child abuse is an important health issue but it is little known how abuse experiences in childhood and current health risk behaviors are related. Objectives: To a) study the prevalence and characteristics of child abuse experience, b) test the hypothesis that youths with a history of child abuse would have more health risk behaviors compared to their non-abused counterparts and c) study the associations between child abuse experience, family and social risk factors, and current health risk behaviors. Material and Method: A cross-sectional population survey was conducted on a sample of 488 young people aged 16-25, living in suburban community of Pathumthani Province. Measures: The standard questionnaires used consisted of 1) The Conflict Tactics Scales (CTS) for child abuse experience 2) Health risk behaviors using Diagnostic Interview Schedule (DIS), Alcohol-Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT), sexual risk behavior screening test, modified Youth Risk Behavior Survey Questionnaire to measure substance use, alcohol, sexual risk behaviors, other risk behaviors respectively. Linear regression was performed to estimate the independent association of abuse experience with the risky behavioral outcomes. Results: Prevalence of child abuse was approximately 30% of the sampled group. Childhood physical abuse was the most common form of abuse (15%) while sexual abuse was the second most common (12%). There were strong graded relationships between the number of abusive experiences and the health risk behaviors. Factors associated with having health risk behaviors included male gender, older age, experiences of abuse, low level of parental education, friends who were involved with potential health risk activities, and no close relatives. Conclusion: Child abuse was not uncommon among Thai youths. Abusive experience and some family and social factors increased the risk of risky behaviors among youth.