Intergenerational impact of mental illness in juveniles with a history of victimization

Résumé 0

In Portugal, the Child Protection Services (CPS) followed 73,019 processes in 2014 alone, 1,452 more than the previous year. Portugal has the second highest prevalence of mental illness among the nine European countries evaluated; it is estimated that 42.7% of the population has at least one mental disorder throughout their life. Parental psychopathology is a risk factor for a set of seriously negative consequences in offspring, including mental health problems. The aim of this study is to explore the effects of parental mental disorder in the development of mental health among young people identified as victims of maltreatment. The sample in this study included 29 young adults aged between 18 and 25 years, identified as victims of abuse in childhood by the CPS. Our findings suggest that CPS identification of parental mental disorder statistically discriminates against these young adults in terms of general psychological distress and a set of Brief Symptom Inventory dimensions. Despite the detection of parental mental disorders and CPS intervention into families, mental health consequences were identified five years later. This study provides a set of politic recommendations on the protection of children and youth.