title: Child Abuse and Mental Disorders in Iranian Adolescents.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Child abuse is a serious social health problem all over the world with important adverse effects.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to extend our understanding of the relation between mental disorders and child abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was designed as a cross-sectional survey on 700 students in secondary schools using multiple cluster sampling in Yazd, Iran in 2013. We applied 2 self reported questionnaires: DASS (depression anxiety stress scales)-42 for assessing mental disorders (anxiety, stress and depression) and a standard self-reported valid and reliable questionnaire for recording child abuse information in neglect, psychological, physical and sexual domains. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS software. P-values < 0.05 were considered as significant.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a statically significant correlation between mental disorder and child abuse score (Spearman rho: 0.2; P-value < 0.001). The highest correlations between mental disorders and child abuse were found in psychological domain, Spearman's rho coefficients were 0.46, 0.41 and 0.36 for depression, anxiety and stress respectively (P-value < 0.001). Based on the results of logistic regression for mental disorder, females, last born adolescents and subjects with drug or alcohol abuser parents had mental disorder odds of 3, 0.4 and 1.9 times compared to others; and severe psychological abuse, being severely neglected and having sexual abuse had odds 90, 1.6 and 1.5 respectively in another model.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Programming for mandatory reporting of child abuse by physicians and all health care givers e.g. those attending schools or health centers, in order to prevent or reduce its detrimental effects is useful and success in preventing child abuse could lead to reductions in the prevalence of mental disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Azar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pirdehghan
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mahmood
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vakili
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Yavar
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Rajabzadeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Preventive Medicine, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Puyandehpour
authors.affiliation: Health Monitoring Research Center, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, IR Iran.
authors.forename: Arezoo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Aghakoochak
keywords: Child Abuse; Child Neglect; Mental Health