Citation

Mathews B, Thomas HJ, Scott JG. Med. J. Aust. 2023; 218(Suppl 6): S47-S51.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Australian Medical Association, Publisher Australasian Medical Publishing)

DOI

10.5694/mja2.51872

PMID

37004187

Abstract

Some 60 years have passed since scientific awareness of child maltreatment in Australia first stirred.1-4 Since then, in various domains, progress has been made in responding to child maltreatment. Yet, to our society's great cost, we have until now lacked the necessary evidence on its population-wide prevalence and associated health outcomes to inform national prevention policy.

As reported in this supplement, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) has obtained the first evidence of the national prevalence of all five forms of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence),5 and of multi-type maltreatment.6 The ACMS also measured associated mental disorders,7 health risk behaviours,8 physical health problems and health service use9 across age groups.

By surveying 8500 Australians aged 16 years and over,10 the ACMS has uncovered the past, discovered the present, and indelibly stamped an imperative to transform the future. Its findings have revealed the true magnitude of child maltreatment and its devastating reverberations through life. Moreover, it has shown that despite increased awareness and isolated improvements over time, the majority of Australians continue to be maltreated in childhood...

Language: en

Keywords

Child abuse; Adolescence; Mental health policy; Child welfare