Exposition des enfants à la violence conjugale : troubles mentaux et facteurs de résilience. Étude transversale tunisienne

Conjugal violence is a social problem whose impact extends beyond the couple, to the children who are exposed.

Objective

To study the psychological impact of exposure to conjugal violence in children and adolescents in child psychiatry consultation and the factors associated with their capacity for resilience.

Patients and methods

We conducted a cross-sectional study on a sample of 30 children and adolescents, aged between 6 and 18 years and exposed to conjugal violence. Patients were recruited from the child psychiatry unit of the Hospital University of HediChaker of Sfax. We conducted clinical interviews to identify the psychological impact of conjugal violence on children. The resilience evaluation was done by self or hetero passation of the Child and Youth Resilience Measure (CYRM).

Results

Children and adolescents exposed to conjugal violence suffered from trauma-related disorders and stressors in 40% of cases, mood disorders in 33.3% of cases and externalized disorders in 6.6% of cases. We found that children were more resilient than adolescents in the area of emotional care provided by their parents (12.66 ± 2.02 vs. 9.46 ± 2.69 among adolescents; P = 0.001). In contrast, adolescents were significantly more resilient than children in the area of contextual factors including spirituality (6.46 ± 1.4 vs. 4.53 ± 1.06; P = 0.000), education (11.13 ± 2.13 vs. 8.4 ± 1.54; P = 0.000) and culture (11.13 ± 2.13 vs. 8.4 ± 1.54; P = 0.000). The child's education and good mental health for the mother were associated with better resilience in the children. The child's exposure to conjugal violence by being both a witness and a victim was associated with a reduced capacity for resilience.

Conclusion

Exposure to conjugal violence has a significant impact on the mental health of children exposed. The study of resilience and associated factors could thus be useful in order to limit the deleterious repercussions on children and provide them with harmonious development both on the somatic and psychological levels.