The physical, emotional and sexual abuse of children is “disturbingly prevalent” across the nation with long-term impacts on victims through life, according to a nationwide study.
Maltreatment of children and its prevalence in Australia is ongoing according to researchers from a Queensland University of Technology study published in the Medical Journal of Australia on Monday.
One in three Australian children experience physical abuse and one in four experience sexual abuse, according to a survey of 8500 Australians aged 16 or over.
Professor Ben Matthews says mistreating children has long-term effects including increasing the likelihood of mental health disorders and risky behaviours.
“Child maltreatment has been an enduring problem for Australia, and it continues today,” he said in a statement.
“Australian youth are suffering badly. Emotional abuse, exposure to domestic violence were most common. Sexual abuse by some types of offenders is becoming more common.
“A major area of concern is the increase in sexual abuse by known adolescents, the group who inflict the greatest proportion of all sexual abuse.
Children who are victims were almost three times more likely to have generalised anxiety disorder, severe alcohol use disorder, and major depressive disorder.
They’re also nearly five times more likely to have PTSD, with girls particularly vulnerable to emotional abuse and mental disorders.
More than 37 per cent of girls experience sexual abuse, which is twice the amount of boys.
About 30 per cent of 16–24-year-old participants have also self-harmed, which includes about two in five females and one in five males.
Almost one in four children experience three-to-five types of maltreatment, influenced by parental risk factors such as alcohol and substance misuse, and mental health problems.
Prof Matthews said sexual and emotional abuse have devastating, long-term, cascading effects on the mental health of victims.
“Sexual abuse and emotional abuse were most strongly associated with mental health disorders and health risk behaviours, making these two forms of maltreatment prime targets for intensified national prevention and early intervention policies,” he said.
“Child maltreatment contributes greatly to our national crisis in youth self-harm and suicide attempts.”
Federal Social Services Minister Amanda Rishworth and Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus called the findings shocking and promised to look carefully at the findings when developing more targetted politics.
“This is a wake-up call to all of us, across all levels of government, and the community. We must do better,” the pair said in a statement.
“This landmark study, the first high-quality, nationally representative study of the prevalence of all five forms of child maltreatment, must focus our minds on prevention and response to child maltreatment.”
– AAP
