Maltreatment during childhood and risk for common mental disorders among first year university students in South Africa.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Childhood maltreatment elevates risk for common mental disorders (CMDs) during late adolescence and adulthood. Although CMDs are highly prevalent among university students, few studies have examined the relationship between childhood maltreatment and 12 month CMDs in a low- to middle-income countries. This paper describes the prevalence of maltreatment and the relationship between type, number and patterns of maltreatment exposure and 12 month CMDs among first-year university students in South Africa.

Methods

Maltreatment and CMD data were collected via well-validated self-report scales (corresponding with DSM-IV diagnoses) in a web-based survey of first-year students from two large urban universities (n = 1290) in South Africa. Various multivariate modelling approac

SUBMITTER: Myers B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7780593 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature