Physical Punishment/Maltreatment During Childhood and Adjustment in Young Adulthood

The relationships between retrospective reports of physical punishment/maltreatment & rates of adjustment difficulties at age 18 in a birth cohort of New Zealand subjects were studied. Data were gathered over the course of an 18-year longitudinal study of a birth cohort of 1,265 New Zealand born children. Young people reporting exposure to harsh or abusive treatment during childhood had elevated rates of juvenile offending, substance abuse, & mental health problems. Increasing exposure to physical punishment during childhood was associated with a significant increase in the percentage of suicide attempts. 4.5% of subjects who reported no physical punishment reported a suicide attempt versus 17.5% of subjects who reported severe/harsh physical punishment. (41 refs.)