RT Article
T1 Perceived Acceptability of Child Maltreatment as a Moderator of the Association Between Experiences of Child Maltreatment and Post-Traumatic Symptoms: A Cross-Cultural Study
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 39
IS 15/16
SP 3764
OP 3790
A1 Bartoli, Eleonora
A2 Wadji, Dany Laure
A2 Oe, Misari
A2 Cheng, Polly
A2 Martin-Soelch, Chantal
A2 Pfaltz, Monique C.
A2 Langevin, Rachel
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1896682278
AB Despite the well-documented link between child maltreatment (CM) and mental health, evidence suggests substantial variability in the post-traumatic sequelae of CM across cultures. The perceived acceptability of CM in one’s community might moderate the association between CM and mental health, but little research has been conducted on it so far. This study examined how the perceived acceptability of CM may influence the relationship between CM experiences and post-traumatic symptoms in individuals from four different continents and if the pattern of associations is the same across countries. We recruited a sample of 478 adults from Cameroon (n = 111), Canada (n = 137), Japan (n = 108), and Germany (n = 122). We administered online questionnaires and performed multiple group moderation analyses for total CM, neglect, physical abuse, emotional maltreatment, sexual abuse, and exposure to domestic violence (DV). A significant positive main effect of CM on post-traumatic symptoms was found in the overall sample and in Cameroon; in Germany, only neglect and emotional maltreatment were positively associated to post-traumatic symptoms. Moderation effects were identified; the perceived acceptability of neglect in Cameroon and Germany and of exposure to DV in Cameroon had a dampening effect on the relationship between CM experiences and post-traumatic symptoms. Our findings confirm that CM experiences entail long-term post-traumatic sequelae that can vary across cultures and CM subtypes and further our understanding of this issue by showing that the perceived acceptability of CM may be an understudied moderator.
K1 Cross-cultural studies
K1 cultural sensitivity
K1 post-traumatic symptoms
K1 perceived acceptability of child maltreatment
K1 Social norms
K1 child maltreatment
DO 10.1177/08862605241234348