title: Determining prevalence of maltreatment among children in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
abstract: The aim of this study is to find out the overall prevalence rates for the major forms of abuse among adolescents in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the differences in prevalence by age, gender and living arrangement.
  
  
  
  The cross-sectional study was conducted in secondary high schools in five of the 13 main regions of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia during 2012. Through a multistage stratified sampling technique, a sample (n = 16 939) of adolescents (15-19 years) were identified and invited to participate. The ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool - Child was used for data collection. The previous year's occurrence of violence exposure, psychological, physical and sexual abuse, and neglect were assessed.
  
  
  
  Nearly 90% of the adolescents were between 16 and 18 years of age, and over 80% were cared for by both of their biological parents. Annual prevalence of various forms of abuse in the year before the 2012 assessment ranged between 0.10 and 0.65, with the lowest rate for sexual abuse and the highest for psychological abuse. Significantly, greater rates of all forms of abuse/exposure were found when participants lived with their mother or father only (versus with both), and even greater rates for all when they lived with their biological parent and a step-parent. Rates for violence exposure, psychological abuse and neglect were significantly greater for girls, and rate of sexual abuse was greater for boys.
  
  
  
  More attention should be given to the effect of adolescent maltreatment particularly among girls. In addition, sexual abuse prevention programme should be targeted among boys.
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|National Family Safety Program, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Pediatric Emergency Medicine, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Al-Eissa
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|National Family Safety Program, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: H N
authors.initials: HN
authors.lastname: Saleheen
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|National Family Safety Program, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: AlMadani
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|National Family Safety Program, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: F S
authors.initials: FS
authors.lastname: AlBuhairan
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, USA.|The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, Gary Pavilion at Children's Hospital Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, USA.|The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, Gary Pavilion at Children's Hospital Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Fluke
authors.affiliation: King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|National Family Safety Program, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.|Department of Pediatrics, King Abdulaziz Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Almuneef
authors.affiliation: University of Colorado School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, USA.|The Kempe Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse and Neglect, Gary Pavilion at Children's Hospital Colorado, USA.
authors.forename: K L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Casillas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000067697:Adolescent Health; D017677:Age Distribution; D018912:Arabs; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D000069581:Exposure to Violence / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010290:Parents / Q000523:psychology*; D011050:Policy Making; D015995:Prevalence; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D012574:Schools; D017678:Sex Distribution
keywords: Adolescence; Maltreatment; Saudi Arabia