RESUMO
BackgroundChild abuse appears to be on the increase during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the extent that lockdown measures modified the association between stress and abuses has not been systematically assessed. ObjectivesTo assess: 1) the association between caregivers stress and self-reported verbal abuse and corporal punishment of a child in the household, and; 2) modification of the stated association by experienced COVID-19 lockdown measures. Participants and settingsCaregivers residing in villages on lockdown in the Deep South of Thailand (n=466 participants) MethodsWe randomly sampled 12 villages in the study area, and 40 households per village. Trained enumerators who were residents of the sampled villages collected the data using phone-based interview. We measured stress level using the standard ST-5 questionnaire. We developed and pilot-tested questions for measurement of child abuse and lockdown experiences specifically for this study. ResultsCaregivers with moderate and higher levels of stress were more likely than caregivers with low level of stress to report verbal abuse (48% vs. 23%, respectively; Adj. OR = 3.12, 95% CI = 1.89, 5.15) and corporal punishment (28% vs. 8%, respectively; Adj. OR = 2.76, 95% CI = 1.41, 5.42). We found that COVID-19 lockdown experiences modified the associations between stress and verbal abuse and corporal punishment. ConclusionThere were associations between stress and abuses, which were modified by lockdown experiences. However, social desirability, lack of details in the answers, and potential confounding by mental illness co-morbidities were notable limitations of the study. Caveat is advised in the interpretation of the study findings.
