Table 1.
Selected socio-economic factors and adverse childhood experiences in students from Romania and Montenegro (n=3,283).
| Factor group/factor | Category | N(%) |
|---|---|---|
| SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS | ||
| Gender | Females | 1,899(57.8%) |
| Males | 1,384(42.2%) | |
| Age (years) | 18–19 | 1,167(35.5%) |
| 20–21 | 1,084(33.0%) | |
| 22–23 | 666(20.3%) | |
| 24–29 | 366(11.1%) | |
| Mother’s education | No school/elementary/some high school | 620(19.0%) |
| Completed high school | 1,539(47.2%) | |
| Some college/high school/university or more | 1,102(33.8%) | |
| Father’s education | No school/elementary/some high school | 653(20.0%) |
| Completed high school | 1,362(41.8%) | |
| Some college/high school/university or more | 1,246(38.2%) | |
| Mother’s employment status | Employed | 2,363(73.2%) |
| Unemployed | 865(26.8%) | |
| Father’s employment status | Employed | 2,688(85.5%) |
| Unemployed | 457(14.5%) | |
| ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES | ||
| • CHILD MALTREATMENT GROUP EXPERIENCES | ||
| Physical neglect experiences | 99(3.1%) | |
| Frequently* didn’t have enough to eat | Yes | 50(1.5%) |
| Frequently had to wear dirty clothes | Yes | |
| Frequently no person to take to the doctor if necessary | Yes | 172(5.4%) |
| Physical abuse experiences | ||
| Frequently being pushed, grabbed, etc., by somebody | Yes | 104(3.4%) |
| Frequently being hit so hard to have marks or being injured | Yes | 419(13.7%) |
| Frequently being spanked | Yes | 1,120(34.6%) |
| Emotional neglect experiences | ||
| Frequently felt not loved | Yes | 163(5.1%) |
| Frequently parents wished had never been born | Yes | 120(3.7%) |
| Frequently being hated by someone in the family | Yes | 271(8.4%) |
| Emotional abuse experiences | ||
| Frequently being sworn at, insulted, or put down | Yes | 180(5.8%) |
| Frequently being afraid that might be physically hurt | Yes | 114(3.7%) |
| Frequently being called “lazy” or “ugly” | Yes | 280(8.7%) |
| Sexual abuse experiences | ||
| Experienced an attempt of or actual sexual intercourse | Yes | 128(4.4%) |
| • HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION GROUP EXPERIENCES | ||
| Substance abuse by household member experiences | ||
| Lived with a problematic drinker or alcoholic | Yes | 556(17.2%) |
| Lived with someone who used street drugs | Yes | 93(2.9%) |
| Mental health problems of household member experiences | ||
| Lived with somebody depressed or mentally ill | Yes | 257(7.9%) |
| Experienced a suicide attempt in the household | Yes | 133(4.1%) |
| Violence against mother experiences | ||
| Frequently experienced pushing, grabbing, slapping mother, etc. | Yes | 111(3.4%) |
| Frequently experienced kicking, biting, hitting mother | Yes | 192(6.0%) |
| Frequently experienced repeated hitting of mother | Yes | 236(7.4%) |
| Frequently experienced threatening mother | Yes | 119(3.7%) |
| Family separation experiences | ||
| Family status | Primary family complete | 2,763(85.6%) |
| Parents divorced, no new partners | 286(8.9%) | |
| Parents divorced, stepfather | 118(3.7%) | |
| Parents divorced, stepmother | 26(0.8%) | |
| Parents divorced, stepfather and stepmother | 14(0.4%) | |
| Foster family | 20(0.6%) | |
| Criminal behaviour by household member experiences | ||
| Experienced an incarceration of household member | Yes | 154(4.7%) |
| Experienced a commitment of a crime by household member | Yes | 82(2.5%) |
Legend: *=very often or often