Philippine E-Journals

The Impact of Family Composition and Last Incident of Abuse on the Psychosocial W ell-being of Abused Children

Maria Caridad H. Tarroja | Ma. Araceli Balajadia-alcala | Sharon Ann C. Co

Discipline: Psychology, Family and Relationships

 

Abstract:

This study looked into the impact of family composition and last incident of abuse on the psychosocial well-being of abused children. The five dimensions of psychosocial well-being looked into were sense of safety and security, sense of competence, self-esteem, ability to adjust to a new environment, and ability to form healthy and therapeutic connections with others. Forty-five abused children from residential facilities were the participants. Using projective tests, each child was rated on a scale of 1 (Very Low) to 5 (Very High) on the five psychosocial well–being dimensions. Results of two -way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) indicated that family composition did not have a significant effect on any of the five dimensions of psychosocial well-being. However, last incident of abuse had a significant effect on sense of competence and self-esteem. A significant interaction effect on the children's ability to adjust to a new environment was also obtained. Regardless of family composition and the last incidence of abuse, ratings on a ll dimensions were low. Implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.