Childhood abuse and adult health: Evidence from the Canadian community health survey 2012 – Mental Health: Individual- and relationship-level factors related to better mental outcomes following child abuse

Objective: Child abuse can have devastating mental health consequences. Fortunately, not all individuals exposed to child abuse will suffer from poor mental health. Understanding what factors are related to good mental health... [ view full abstract ]

Objective: Child abuse can have devastating mental health consequences. Fortunately, not all individuals exposed to child abuse will suffer from poor mental health. Understanding what factors are related to good mental health following child abuse may provide important evidence-based insights to inform intervention strategies. Our objectives were to: 1) describe the prevalence of good, moderate, and diminished mental health among respondents with and without a child abuse history; 2) examine the relationships between child abuse and good, moderate, and diminished mental health outcomes; and 3) examine the relationships between individual- and relationship-level factors and better mental health outcomes among respondents with and without a child abuse history; 4) determine if sociodemographic characteristics and individual- and relationship-level factors moderate the relationship between child abuse and mental health.
Method: Data were from the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health, nationally representative of the 10 Canadian provinces. Respondents were 18 years and older (n = 23,395; household response rate = 79.8%).
Results: Only 56% of respondents with a child abuse history report good mental health compared to a much higher proportion of 72.4% of those without a child abuse history. Importantly, among respondents with a child abuse history, 35.6% and 8.1% have moderate and diminished mental health, respectively. Individual- and relationship-level factors associated with better mental health outcomes included: higher education and income, moderate to vigorous physical activity, good coping skills to handle unexpected problems and day-to-day demands, and supportive relationships with friends and family that foster attachment, guidance, reliable alliance, social integration, and reassurance of worth.
Conclusions: This study identifies several individual- and relationship-level factors that could be targeted for intervention strategies aimed at improving mental health outcomes following child abuse.