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Estimating the Prevalence Rate of Child Physical and Psychological Maltreatment in South Korea

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Abstract

In Korea, an amendment to the Child Welfare Act was made in 2008 that required a national study estimating the occurrence rate of child abuse and neglect every 5 years. The present study reports the major findings of the first national study conducted after the 2008 amendment. The aim of the study is to estimate the prevalence of child physical and psychological maltreatment (CPPM) in Korea and to explore the basic characteristics associated with such incidents. Household surveys were administered to caregivers and focal children who were school age and older. We estimated the prevalence of CPPM using the Parent–child Conflict Tactic Scale, which was developed by Straus et al. (1998). The occurrence rate of CPPM was 25.3 % in Korea, with instances differing by household income, poverty status, and size of the region. Children who experienced physical and psychological maltreatment were more likely to witness the abuse of their siblings and domestic violence. The implications of the findings are discussed and recommendations made for further research.

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Notes

  1. Among the studies, sexual abuse was included in Hong et al. (2000) and Kim (2008), and the prevalence of sexual abuse in both of these studies was estimated to be 1 %.

  2. For the purpose of this study, physical and psychological maltreatment includes psychological aggression, physical assault, and neglect (Straus et al. 1998).

  3. Han et al. (2008) reported the challenges of relying on child and parent reports for estimating the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse and suggested the use of retrospective reports from adults pertaining to their childhood to estimate childhood sexual abuse.

  4. We did not include sexual abuse in this study, owing to the high risk of offending caregivers, the cultural inappropriateness of the items for the child participants, and the low probability of receiving honest responses from either the parent or a minor child (Han et al. 2008).

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Acknowledgments

This research was supported by the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare. We thank the editors and the reviewers for their insightful comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Social Welfare, Gachon University, 1342 Seongnamdaero, Sujeong-gu, Seongnam-si, Gyeonggi-do, 461-701, South Korea

    Jaejin Ahn

  2. Department of Social Welfare, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea

    Bong Joo Lee, Sang Kyoung Kahng, Hye Lan Kim, Min Sang Yoo, Soo Youn Lee, Youngcho Cho, Young Sun Yoo & Joan P. Yoo

  3. Department of Child Care and Education, Seoul Theological University, 101 Sosabon3-dong, Sosa-gu, Bucheon-City, Kyonggi, 422-742, South Korea

    Ock Kyeung Hwang

  4. Department of Social Welfare, Dongguk University, 707, Sekjang-Dong, Gyeong Ju, Gyeongsangbuk-Do, 780-714, South Korea

    Eun Ju Lee & Soo Young Park

  5. Child Welfare Society of Korea, 102-1804 Byuksan megatrium, Hangang-to 2ga, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04376, South Korea

    Hea Reong Shin

  6. Child Support Center for Independence Living, Korea Human Resource Development Institute for Health & Welfare, 7 Floor Centralplaza 391 Hangang-daero, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, South Korea

    You Jung Kwak

  7. College of Human Ecology Child Development Family Studies, Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, 151-742, South Korea

    Young Mi Shin

  8. Korea Childcare Promotion Institute, 3-6 Floor Juyeon Building, 345 Cheongpa-ro, Yongsan-gu, Seoul, 04303, South Korea

    Ji Young Lim

  9. Department of Social Welfare, Chungbuk National University, 1 Chungdae-ro, Seowon-gu, Cheongju, Chungbuk, 28644, South Korea

    Yun Jung Cho

Authors
  1. Jaejin Ahn
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  2. Bong Joo Lee
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  3. Sang Kyoung Kahng
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  4. Hye Lan Kim
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  5. Ock Kyeung Hwang
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  6. Eun Ju Lee
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  7. Hea Reong Shin
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  8. Min Sang Yoo
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  9. Soo Youn Lee
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  10. Youngcho Cho
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  11. Young Sun Yoo
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  12. You Jung Kwak
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  13. Young Mi Shin
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  14. Ji Young Lim
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  15. Yun Jung Cho
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  16. Soo Young Park
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  17. Joan P. Yoo
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joan P. Yoo.

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Ahn, J., Lee, B.J., Kahng, S.K. et al. Estimating the Prevalence Rate of Child Physical and Psychological Maltreatment in South Korea. Child Ind Res 10, 187–203 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12187-016-9369-z

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