Association of parental verbal abuse with depression, anxiety, and coping mechanisms among adolescents in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan.

BACKGROUND

Parental verbal abuse, a form of psychological maltreatment, significantly impacts adolescents' mental health, potentially contributing to depression, anxiety, and maladaptive coping mechanisms.

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to examine the relationship between parental verbal abuse and adolescent mental health outcomes (depression and anxiety), as well as coping styles, among adolescents in the Ghizer district of Gilgit-Baltistan.

PARTICIPANTS AND

SETTING

The sample comprised 370 adolescents (boys = 175; girls = 195), recruited from public and private schools in the Ghizer district.

METHODS

A cross-sectional design was employed using four standardized instruments: the Verbal Abuse Questionnaire (VAQ-15), Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7), and the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations-21 (CISS-21). Correlation and regression analyses were used to assess associations and predictive relationships.

RESULTS

Parental verbal abuse significantly predicted depression (β = 0.32, p < .001) and anxiety (β = 0.27, p < .001). It was positively correlated with emotion-oriented coping (r = 0.38, p < .001) and negatively associated with task-oriented coping (r = -0.18, p < .001). Adolescents from lower socioeconomic backgrounds reported higher levels of parental verbal abuse. Girls reported significantly higher levels of depression and anxiety.

CONCLUSIONS

Parental verbal abuse poses serious risks for adolescent mental health and coping capacities, particularly among girls and adolescents from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds. These findings call for urgent implementation of school-based interventions and parental education programs.