Profiles and Predictors of Physical Abuse and Behavior Problems in Chinese Preschool-Aged Children

ABSTRACT

Physical abuse is one subtype of child abuse and it has been a worldwide public health issue for its detrimental effects on child development, profiles, predictors, and its relation with behavior problems need further exploration, particularly in Chinese children. This study attempts to explore profiles and predictors of physical abuse and to examine differences in behavior problems in profiles of physical abuse. A total of 900 caregivers whose children aged 4 to 6 years were recruited in which the data were collected with caregiver-reported questionnaires, and latent profile analysis was used to perform data analysis. Research Findings: Children were divided into three profiles: profiles of extremely low levels of physical abuse, low levels of physical abuse, and moderate levels of physical abuse; child gender and family income predicted classifications of profiles. Internalizing and externalizing problems were different based on profiles, specifically, externalizing problems in the profile of moderate levels of physical abuse were significantly higher than any other profile; internalizing problems in the profile of low levels of physical abuse were significantly higher than the profile of extremely low levels of physical abuse. Practice or Policy: Preventions for physical abuse should take individual differences, such as children’s gender, into consideration.

Acknowledgement

We wish to thank the children, caregivers and teachers to participate in the study.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Ministry of Education of the People’s Republic of China under Grant [21YJC880005] and Department of Education of Guangdong Province [2021GXJK199].