Psychopathology among youths who were victims of documented childhood maltreatment

Background: There is an established relationship between childhood maltreatment and later psychopathology,
but most studies have used self-reports and only consider a small number of experiences. The main aim of
this study was to examine predictors of psychopathology by comparing two sources (official records vs. selfreports)
of ten different childhood adversities among youths who were identified by Child Protective Services
(CPS). We also used a comparison group that was not identified by CPS. This study also compared, in terms of
psychopathology, three groups of respondents (under-report; agreement; and over-report) based on the discrepancy
between the two sources of childhood adversity. Method: The sample included 136 youths, ages 14–
23 years, identified by CPS prior to age 12 as being maltreated and who lived with their family for at least
5 years. The comparison group included 80 youths. Results: The identified youths were not different from the
comparison group in global psychopathology. Psychopathology was associated only with the total amount of
self-reported adverse experiences, with depressive symptoms being predicted by both documented and selfreported
sexual abuse. Females reported and had more documented adversities, presenting an increased risk
for psychopathology. The under-report group had a higher mean of documented experiences and a lower
mean in psychopathology. Conclusions: Despite the limitations of a self-report methodology, our findings
attest to its contribution in predicting health outcomes. Professionals from CPS need to be thorough when
assessing and documenting the multiple experiences that may co-occur in a household, paying particular
attention when young girls are involved, as the experience of sexual abuse has been shown to be independently
associated with later risk of developing depressive symptoms. This process may increase the appropriateness
of the chosen interventions.
The authors thank the Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia (PhD research grant, FCT - SFRH/BD/45414/2008) for financing this project. The authors also express appreciation to the staff of the Comissao de Proteccao das Criancas e Jovens. The authors have declared that they have no competing or potential conflicts of interest.