Childhood Maltreatment and Suicide

Abstract

This research focuses on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and suicide. The types of maltreatment that are included are physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional maltreatment and physical neglect, and suicide is operationalized by the variables suicidal thoughts, suicide attempts, and a combination of both. It is hypothesized that the types of maltreatment are all related to the suicide variables, and that these relationships are influenced by the factors gender, negative self-concept, social support, teacher support, family support, and connectedness with parents. Results show that there is hardly any significant direct relationship between the maltreatment types and suicide variables. Only sexual abuse is related with suicide attempts and suicide (total), and emotional maltreatment with suicide (total). The chi-square analyses of the factors shows significance between the suicide variables and almost all factors. However, there is hardly any significance between the factors and the maltreatment types. The logistic regression analyses of the risk/protective factors, the types of maltreatment and the suicide types shows that ‘negative self-concept’ and ‘teacher support’ are the most important risk factors, and ‘connectedness with parents’ is the largest protective factor of suicide in maltreated persons.