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Sexual abuse of children is a preventable public health problem with devastating consequences. In a recent Australian survey, 37.3% of women and 18.8% of men reported they had experienced sexual abuse as children, and 12.5% of women and 4.3% of men reported penetrative abuse. The grave psychological and often physical violations make sexual abuse during childhood a risk factor for a range of mental disorders throughout life. It is also associated with lower socio‐economic attainment, drug and alcohol misuse, violence (both as victim and perpetrator), self‐harm and attempted suicide, and physical health problems. Although these factors increase the risk of early death, the association between sexual abuse during childhood and mortality has not been examined in detail.

This MJA research shares more.

Learning Outcomes

1. Explain key components of the research
2. List main findings
3. Outline early intervention strategies to detect and reduce child sexual abuse.

Details

Author: Nina Papalia, Benjamin L Spivak, Linda Ashford, Ahona Guha, Stefan Luebbers, James RP Ogloff, Nina Papalia, Benjamin L Spivak, Linda Ashford, Ahona Guha, and Stefan Luebbers

Article Type: Research.