Background/Aim. Child abuse may be related to adverse psychological outcomes
in adult life. However, little is known about specific clinical, family and
resilience profiles of adolescents that have experienced child abuse. The
aim of this study was to investigate clinical symptoms, family functioning
and resilience characteristics of adolescents with the experience of abuse,
first referred to psychiatrists. Methods. The study included 84 young
participants (mean age 14.90 ± 3.10, ranging from 11 to 18 years) as
consecutive first referrals to the Clinic for Children and Youth of the
Institute of Mental Health, Belgrade, Serbia. The sample consisted of two
groups, based on the Child Abuse Matrices of Risks. The first group included
adolescents with the experience of abuse in childhood (n = 38, 13 males, 25
females), whereas the second, control group, comprised of non-abused
adolescents (n = 47, 20 males, 27 females). The presence of abuse was
evaluated by the Child Abuse Matrices of Risks. The study used the following
questionnaires: Youth Self-Report (YSR), Adolescent Resilience Attitudes
Scale (ARAS), and Self-Report Family Inventory (SFI). Results. Significant
differences were found only among females. According to YSR, the abused
girls had significantly higher scores on the Delinquent Behavior scale and
marginally higher scores on Anxious/ Depressed and Social Problems scales.
Analyses of the SFI showed significantly lower family functioning among the
girls with the child abuse history for all scales except for the Directive
Leadership. The abused girls also showed significantly lower scores on the
Insight scale, and marginally lower Initiative scores at the ARAS.
Conclusions. These findings may have practical application in the creation
of specific preventive and treatment strategies, particularly focused on
delinquent tendencies, as well as on enhancing resilience through providing
positive environments within families, schools and communities
