Child Sexual Abuse among a Representative Sample of Quebec High School Students: Prevalence and Association with Mental Health Problems and Health-Risk Behaviors

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dc.contributor.authorHébert, M., Amédée, L. M., Blais, M., & Gauthier-Duchesne, A.
dc.date.accessioned2019-08-05T18:12:13Z
dc.date.available2019-08-05T18:12:13Z
dc.date.issued2019
dc.description.abstractThe objective of this study was to estimate the prevalence of child sexual abuse in a representative sample of Quebec high school youths and document its associations with mental health problems and health-risk behaviors. Method: Data were drawn from the Quebec Youths’ Romantic Relationships Survey, which involved a one-stage stratified cluster sampling of 34 Quebec high schools from Grades 10 to 12. A total of 8,194 youths (mean age ¼ 15.35) were recruited. The survey assessed child sexual abuse, mental health problems (psychological distress, post-traumatic stress symptoms, suicidality), health services utilization, and health-risk behaviors (alcohol, drug, and cannabis use). Gender-stratified multivariate analyses were used to assess associations between child sexual abuse and mental health problems and health-risk behaviors while controlling for confounding demographic variables and other forms of child maltreatment experienced in childhood. Results: A total of 14.9% of girls and 3.9% of boys reported having experienced child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse was independently associated with an increased risk of psychological distress, greater health services utilization, and increased health-risk behaviors, after controlling for other forms of childhood maltreatment experienced. Conclusions: Child sexual abuse is prevalent among youths in Quebec and is associated with an increased risk of a host of negative consequences. Continued efforts in the development of early detection strategies as well as prevention and intervention programs are warranted.en_US
dc.identifier.citationHébert, M., Amédée, L. M., Blais, M., & Gauthier-Duchesne, A. (2019). Child sexual abuse among a representative sample of Quebec high school students: prevalence and association with mental health problems and health-risk behaviors. The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 0706743719861387.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0706743719861387
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/4439
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherThe Canadian Journal of Psychiatryen_US
dc.subjectchild sexual abuseen_US
dc.subjectmental healthen_US
dc.subjectsuicidal ideationen_US
dc.subjectPost-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)en_US
dc.subjecthealth-risk behaviorsen_US
dc.subjecthealth services utilizationen_US
dc.subjectCanada
dc.subjectInternational Resources
dc.titleChild Sexual Abuse among a Representative Sample of Quebec High School Students: Prevalence and Association with Mental Health Problems and Health-Risk Behaviorsen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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