Sachs-Ericsson Natalie, Medley Amanda N, Kendall-Tackett Kathleen, Taylor John
Department of Psychology Florida State University.
Psychol Violence. 2011 Apr 1;1(2):106-120. doi: 10.1037/a0023139.
Child abuse has negative consequences on health functioning and the self-concept. Prior studies have garnered support for these relationships in younger adults; yet few studies have looked at the effects of abuse on health in older adults and the psychosocial variables, specifically self-efficacy, that may influence the abuse-health relationship. METHODS: Data obtained from the Physical Health and Disability Study were used to explore the impact of child abuse on current medical problems among older adults who were screened on physical disability status (N=1396, Mean age = 67, SD = 10.2). The study was conducted in South Florida and employed a multiethnic sample that is representative of the general population in this area. RESULTS: Child abuse was associated with the number of current medical problems and disability. Child abuse was also related to lower self-efficacy, and self-efficacy explained the relationship between abuse and the number of health problems. CONCLUSIONS: There are far reaching effects of child abuse on older adults' health and self-concept. Health care providers and gerontologists need to be aware that child abuse is a life-long risk factor for increased disability and specific health problems, especially among the elderly. Future research should examine treatments designed to increase self-efficacy, especially among those who experienced child abuse, and observe any positive effects on health functioning.
虐待儿童会对健康功能和自我概念产生负面影响。先前的研究已在较年轻的成年人中证实了这些关系；然而，很少有研究探讨虐待对老年人健康的影响以及可能影响虐待与健康关系的心理社会变量，特别是自我效能感。方法：利用从身体健康与残疾研究中获得的数据，探讨虐待儿童对在身体残疾状况筛查中合格的老年人（N = 1396，平均年龄 = 67岁，标准差 = 10.2）当前医疗问题的影响。该研究在南佛罗里达州进行，采用了一个代表该地区普通人群的多民族样本。结果：虐待儿童与当前医疗问题的数量和残疾有关。虐待儿童还与较低的自我效能感相关，且自我效能感解释了虐待与健康问题数量之间的关系。结论：虐待儿童对老年人的健康和自我概念有深远影响。医疗保健提供者和老年病学家需要意识到，虐待儿童是导致残疾增加和特定健康问题的终身风险因素，尤其是在老年人中。未来的研究应检验旨在提高自我效能感的治疗方法，特别是针对那些曾遭受虐待儿童经历的人，并观察其对健康功能的任何积极影响。
