Exploring Physical and Psychological Consequences of Child Abuse in Kermanshah Province: A Qualitative Study

Child abuse is one of the most common psychological and social problems. One of the most important aspects of child abuse is its effects and consequences. Child abuse can have many detrimental effects on the children, parents and society as a whole. This study intends to investigate the physical and psychological consequences of child abuse in Kermanshah province.

This research was conducted using a qualitative method and content analysis approach. The statistical population of the study included all abused children and experts intervening in the phenomenon of child abuse in Kermanshah province in 2021. The sampling method was purposive with theoretical saturation criteria. In this study, ten abused children or their families and 16 experts active in the field of child abuse were interviewed in the semi-structured way. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis method and categorization and coding were performed several times.

After analyzing the data obtained from interviews with experts and children, symptoms  such as "skin bruising, night sickness, bone fracture, fracture, stuttering, experience of persistent sore throat and bruising" were classified under the consequences  physical child abuse and the symptoms  such as "feeling miserable, low self-esteem, sense of victimhood, escaping from the crowd, being pessimistic about those around you, experiencing guilt, feelings of vengeance against the abuser, nervous tics, lack of concentration, thoughts and intention to commit suicide, parental hatred, future sense of destruction and persistent curse and profanity of abusers" have been classified into the category of consequences of child psychological abuse.

The findings showed that the phenomenon of child abuse is increasing in our society which is associated with many consequences. Hence to reduce these consequences, society needs comprehensive and coordinated planning from the government for appropriate changes in family, social, legal and administrative structures.