Behavioral and Emotional Problems in Abused and Nonabused Children in a Pakistani Cohort

The study aimed to el ucidate whether the trauma of abuse reflects upon the behavioral and emotional pattern in children. Abused and nonabused children (50 each) were drawn from 5 cities of Punjab. Child Abuse Scale (Malik Shah. 20 was used to identify nature and level of abuse. Class teachers rated children s behavior on Comprehensive Behavior Rating Scale (Neeper, Lahey. Frick, 1990). Univariate ANOVA revealed reliable differences of behavioral problems across abused and nonabused group and gender with a general trend for abused group than nonabused and girls than boys. The data remained even. when differences across groups were controlled by covariance in terms of socio-economic status, maternal education. and fami ly system. The implications of the childhood trauma as a marker for behavioral problems in children are discussed in the context of Pakistani culture.