The prevalence of physical and psychological abuse and its correlation with depressive and anxiety symptoms among students

Abstract

© 2017, University of Kragujevac, Faculty of Science. All rights reserved. Abuse in younger populations has been an issue of growing concern globally since youth already face various life situations that can heighten the occurrence of depression and anxiety disorders. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of physical and psychological abuse and its correlation with depressive and anxiety symptoms among students. This research was conducted as an epidemiological study of a sample of 1,940 university students using a standardized questionnaire by the World Health Organization. The survey, in addition to questions related to the abuse of youth, also included the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. Based on the results of this study, psychological abuse had a prevalence of 17.1%, while the prevalence of physical abuse was approximately 1.8%. Depressive symptoms were significantly related to physical (p<0.001) and psychological abuse (p<0.005), and anxiety symptoms were also significantly related to both physical (p=0.003) and psychological abuse (p<0.005). The results of this study indicated the importance of the early detection of abuse and depressive and anxiety symptoms among university students, which is essential for mental health promotion and the prevention of mental disorders.