Psychical Ill-treatment in Childhood in the Adult Population ofthe Czech Republic: Occurrence and Some Connections. Results ofa Representative Retrospective Study

Overview

The present study is the first representative study of that kind in the Czech Republic, which was aimed at detection ofthe reál occurrence of psychical and physical ill-treatment in childhood in our population and some of its connections. In this contribution the authors addressed a part concerning psychical ill-treatment. Psychical ill-treatment is the least explored form of child ill-treatment. One of the reasons is especially the non-existence of a clear and unequivocal definition of this phenomenon, which can assume various forms - from subtle to very cruel ones. In the past the psychical ill-treatment was explored especially as an accompanying manifesta-tion of physical ill-treatment or sexual abuse, but not as an independent form of ill-treatment. The occurrence of this phenomenon in the population of the Czech Republic has been so far covered only by statistical data ofthe Ministry of Labor and Sociál Affairs, Police ofthe Czech Republic and the Department for the Care of Family and Child. Authors suppose, however, that the notified cases form only the so called peak ofthe iceberg. The more difficult is to detect the psychical ill-treatment of children, the more serious are the consequences for further life ofthe victim, its neighbourhood and the whole society.The present research was drawn as a sociological and retrospective study. In order to obtain the data a speciál method was created, a questionnaire form, which was administered on an individual basis. The field investigation was performed partly by the technique of standardized guided interview and partly by a questionnaire. Adult population ofthe Czech Republic at the age of 18 to 44 years was interviewed. A representative cohort, selected by a random choice of quotas, was formed by 1104 subjects. In the specification of psychical ill-treatment the authors started from definitions ušed by important authorities such as Medical Committee of the Council of Europe or Canadian National Reference Center for Family Violence (NCFV). Within the framework ofthe investigation it also became obvious that 69.1% of questioned Czechs were subjected to some form of psychical ill-treatment and 83.1% of them reported that they were exposed to some form of physical ill-treatment of punishment in their childhood or youth.

Key words:
psychical ill-treatment, incidence of psychical ill-treatment, consequences of psychical ill-treatment.