Ahmed Saad Alahmed
University of Ulster, UK
Title: Comparing abused children with other children in Saudi Arabia for possible psychological problems
Biography
Biography: Ahmed Saad Alahmed
Abstract
Background: The aim of this study was to assess abused children in Saudi Arabia for possible psychological problems and to compare them with children attending the regular school system.
Sample: The participants were 68 Saudi abused children who live either with their families or in governmental residential homes, and 53 children in the same age range recruited in the same Saudi city. .
Method: Children were asked to complete the self-report Spence Children\'s Anxiety Scale; and parents or caregivers were asked to complete Child Behaviour Checklist. .
Results: Abused children suffered from different types of anxiety but the highest one was generalised anxiety disorder. Also, these children had emotional and behavioural problems and the most frequent ones were aggressive behaviours and being anxious or depressed. Comparable scores from the children from regular schools showed mean scores that were high but not as high as for the abused children in any of these areas. .
Conclusion: Saudi abused children had high levels of anxiety and behavioural and emotional problems, and this has implications for their care which have not been considered to date. Limitations of the data are discussed. .
