Physical Abuse and Emotional Distress Among Adolescents: Mediating Role of Self-Blame

Abstract

   Background. Physical abuse during childhood significantly affects mental health and well-being of children as these experiences are likely to continue in the later years (adolescents and adulthood) and are often manifested in the form of emotional distress and blaming one’s self. Adolescence is a period marked by number of psychological and physical changes, and therefore, tendency to internalize or externalize any negative experience such as physical abuse is relatively high. Objective. The present study investigated how physical abuse affects emotional distress through self-blame (mediation path). Method. A correlational research design was employed, using data from 400 adolescents aged 14 to 19 years (M = 16.89, SD = 1.54) with the history of physical abuse. The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire- Short Form (Bernstein et al., 2003), Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2003), and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., 2002) were used to assess physical abuse, emotional distress, and self-blame among adolescents recruited through purposive sampling technique. Results. The findings revealed significant positive relationship among study variables. Moreover, self-blame positively mediated the relationship between physical abuse and emotional distress among adolescents. Conclusion. The findings highlighted that children who endure physical abuse are more likely to self-blame, which in turn intensifies their emotional distress. These findings shed light on the abuse and suffering cycle which could be intervened through targeted therapeutic interventions and policies for a safer environment.