Correlation Between Physical Abuse and Depression Among School Going Adolescents (10-16 years of age) - A School Based Study

Introduction: Every child had all the rights to a safe childhood and a life free from violence. The experience of child abuse and neglect infringe upon that right. An estimated 10–20% of adolescents globally experience mental health conditions, yet these remain underdiagnosed and undertreated. The experience of child abuse and neglect infringe upon that right. Childhood ill-treatment will cause severe mental health disorders in adolescents. Objectives: To find out correlation between physical abuse and anxiety among school going adolescents. Method: The study was conducted in eight schools in Belagavi using descriptive cross sectional research design with stratified cluster sampling. It included Primary and secondary schools of Belagavi. The study samples were consisted of 785 students. Self-structured physical abuse and Modified Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale was used to find out prevalence & correlation between physical abuse and depression among the adolescents. Results: The results of the study showed that Out of total 785 study subjects 444(56.56%) had exposed to moderate physical abuse, 196 (24.97%) had exposed to low physical abuse, and 145(18.47%) had exposed to high level of physical abuse. The study findings showed that there is significant relationship between physical abuse and depression among adolescents, with r-value =0.1256 (p