Abstract
Although the phenomenon of disability-related abuse has been well-documented in adults with disabilities, the occurrence of disability-related abuse in childhood has not been studied. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to establish proof of concept for childhood disability-related abuse. American adults (n = 485) retrospectively report on physical, sexual, and disability-related abuse that they experienced before the age of 18. The sample consisted of 382 participants with no disability, 55 participants with an adult-onset disability, and 48 participants with a childhood-onset disability. Disability-related abuse was conceptualized as involving either (a) the denial of assistive technology or (b) the denial of care, permission, or assistance with an activity of self-care. Childhood denial of assistive technology was rare in all groups (1.3%-2.1%), but denial of care, assistance, or permission was significantly higher in the childhood-onset disability group (20.8%) than either the adult-onset (7.3%) or no-disability (6.5%) groups. The three groups did not significantly differ in the rates of reported childhood physical or sexual abuse. This study provides preliminary proof-of-concept evidence for childhood disability-related abuse, particularly denial of care.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 10029-10053 |
Number of pages | 25 |
Journal | Journal of interpersonal violence |
Volume | 36 |
Issue number | 21-22 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Nov 2021 |
Keywords
- abuse
- denial of care
- disability
- disabled
- neglect
- proof of concept
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Clinical Psychology
- Applied Psychology