A Bicentric Study of Psychiatric Illness among Pediatric Population Patients with a History of Sexual Abuse

Abstract

Background:  The present study assessed the psychiatric diseases in victims of childhood sexual abuse from intact and broken families. Methodology:  A cross-sectional study was conducted at the PMC hospital, Nawabshah and Pir Abdul Qadir Shah Jeelani Institute of Medical Sciences, GAMBAT between February 2020 to January 2022. 60 (30 in each group) children were included with the ages of 5-16 years,. Non-probability convenience sampling technique was used. Children with reported sexual abuse who fulfilled the inclusion criteria were included in this study. All children included in the study were screened for psychological disturbances through the Urdu version of SDQ. The severity of symptoms was assessed based on ICD-10 criteria. Results:  There was a significant relationship between the identity of the perpetrator with the stability of the family. In victims belonging to the intact family system, the perpetrator was mostly an outsider while, in cases of broken families, oftentimes, the abuser was a relative or known to the victim. 44.44% of individuals belonging to broken families were abused within the confinements of the home. 17.8% of children from unstable families had mixed anxiety and depression disorder, while the rate was lower among children who had intact families. Surprisingly, only five children altogether had post-traumatic stress disorder. Hyperkinetic disorder and conduct disorder was significantly more prevalent in victims belonging to a broken family system. Conclusion:  Childhood sexual abuse and its resultant psychiatric morbidity are equally common in children from intact and broken families. However further research with a greater sample size from multiple centers is needed. Keywords:  Childhood sexual abuse, Psychiatric morbidity, Broken family.