More than 60% of Australians aged over 16 experienced child maltreatment, a landmark study reveals.
Australian-first research into the prevalence of childhood maltreatment has revealed almost two-thirds of children who experience any child abuse or neglect have been subjected to more than one type.
Children are more likely to experience multiple types of maltreatment including physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence, than a single type of maltreatment, figures from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) show.
“Experiencing a single type is the atypical experience. Children are more likely to experience nothing or multiple types,” Professor Daryl Higgins, an ACMS chief investigator and director of Australian Catholic University's Institute of Child Protection Studies, said.
“This is a very disturbing finding. We knew the experiences of multi-type maltreatment would be high, but we didn't expect it to be as strong as it is.”
Professor Higgins said the ACMS study of 8,500 Australians, which revealed 62.2% of Australians aged over 16 experienced child maltreatment, showed girls were at greater risk of multiple types of abuse and neglect (43.2%) compared with boys (34.9%). Girls were almost twice as likely to experience four or five types.
Urgent action needed
Professor Higgins said the findings demanded immediate attention to better safeguard children and reduce these poor health outcomes across life.
“We now have the data to prove that maltreatment is not only occurring at alarming rates, but that children are suffering multiple types of maltreatment, and we must do everything in our power to stop this harm,” he said.
“If we want to improve the physical and mental health of Australians, we need to prevent all types of maltreatment and coordinate early interventions and supports to reduce the risk of multiple types.”
Professor Higgins said children are growing up in environments that are less than ideal.
“We know evidence-based parental programs and support can not only increase the capability of parents but can reduce the risk of maltreatment of children.”
‘A sign of failed public systems’
Australia’s National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds said: “in a rich and developed country like Australia, high rates of child maltreatment are a sign of failed public service systems”.
“They are poorly designed, fragmented, and lacking co-ordination across health, mental health, education, and social services,” Hollonds said.
“A large proportion of children who experience maltreatment will suffer serious problems throughout their lives, including mental health disorders and suicide attempts. Child maltreatment is also a major contributing factor to Australia’s youth justice crisis.”
Hollonds pointed out that unlike other countries, Australia has no National Strategy for Child Wellbeing with clear accountabilities.
“We have no reporting on budget allocations for child wellbeing. We have no Minister for Children. We have no vision, and we have had no urgency for change,” she said.
“In a prosperous country like Australia, child wellbeing should be a bipartisan priority. Today we have a rare opportunity to build a national agreement to prioritise child wellbeing and create a roadmap for reform.”
Time to re-evaluate prevention strategies?
Dr Cathy Kezelman, President of Blue Knot Foundation, said much of what we understand as complex trauma relates to repeated ongoing and in some instances; extreme trauma, often from childhood including violence, abuse and neglect.
“Health risk behaviours often start as a young person, but frequently continue for decades. They can be understood as ‘coping strategies’ adopted to try to minimise distress or respond to the numbing of emotions,” Dr Kezelman said.
“These coping strategies often have major health and life consequences, and need to be better understood in the context of the complex trauma experienced.”
The study further confirms that people experiencing child maltreatment are more likely to have negative health and social outcomes across their lifespan.
“This includes maltreatment being associated with elevated lifetime risk of cancer, cardiovascular, respiratory and genitourinary diseases, depression and anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance misuse disorders, self-harm and suicide,” she said.
“These findings validate previous research including the pivotal US Adverse Childhood Experiences Study, and our understanding of complex trauma more broadly.”
The research, published in a special edition of the Medical Journal of Australia, was conducted by ACU, in conjunction with partner research institutes QUT, The University of Queensland, Queensland Centre Mental Health Research, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Curtin University, and international universities The University of New Hampshire, The University of Edinburgh, and University of Greenwich. It was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council.