Prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ICAST-R

Abstract

Objectives: While the link between childhood experiences of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and mental health problems has been largely studied, there is limited information regarding the prevalence of child maltreatment in developing countries, particularly in South America. The present study is an effort to investigate the prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador using the ISPCAN Child Abuse Screening Tool Retrospective version (ICAST-R).

Method: A student sample (males = 1579; females = 1554) from the seven largest universities in Quito, Ecuador, completed the ICAST-R.

Results: Our findings indicate that 69.6 % of participants experienced child maltreatment. Physical abuse was reported by 47.6 % of respondents; this commonly involved being beaten by parents. Emotional maltreatment was reported by 53 % of the participants; mostly through insults by same-sex peers and parents. Sexual abuse was reported by 15.5 % of the participants. The most prevalent forms of sexual abuse included being coerced into touching another person's genitals, having their genitals touched by others, or having someone expose their genitals to them. Sexual abuse was more prevalent amongst females (males = 12.9 %; females = 18.1 %, OR = 1.49; CI = 1.22-1.81), and physical abuse was more prevalent amongst males (males = 50.5 %; females = 44.6 %, OR = 0.79; CI = 0.69-0.91).

Conclusions: Our study shows evidence of a high prevalence of child maltreatment in Ecuador. We also identify significant gender differences in the type of abuse experienced, and in the context in which this abuse takes place. These results are important given the negative consequences of child maltreatment. More research applying ICAST to different populations is recommended to further validate the present findings and facilitate international comparisons.

Keywords: Child maltreatment; Ecuador; Gender differences; ICAST; Latin America; Prevalence; Sexual abuse.