The prevalence and impact of child maltreatment in Australia: Findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study is the first of its kind for Australia. The study has generated the first nationally representative data on the prevalence of each of five types of child maltreatment – physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence. The study also attempts to understand the ongoing health impacts of this abuse, which often carries on into later life. The findings are stark. The authors found that child maltreatment was widespread, with girls experiencing particularly high rates of sexual and emotional abuse. Child maltreatment is associated with later severe mental health problems and behavioural harms that carry on into adulthood.  The authors believe that the impacts of emotional abuse have been previously under-estimated and are much more damaging that our society has previously acknowledged.

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