A study examining child abuse in Australia reveals a shocking burden on Australians, with up to 40 per cent of common lifelong mental health conditions estimated to be caused by this abuse.
The mental health conditions tested were anxiety, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, self-harm, and suicide attempts. Child abuse is classified as physical, sexual, and emotional abuse, as well as mental or physical neglect of persons under 18 years of age.
In Australia, childhood abuse was found to account for 41% of suicide attempts, self-harm accounted for 35% and depression accounted for 21%.
This analysis JAMA Psychiatry This study is the first to provide estimates of the prevalence of mental health conditions attributable to child abuse in Australia.
Researchers said the results were a wake-up call about child abuse and its failure to be addressed as a national public health priority.
Dr Lucinda Gromit, from the Matilda Center at the University of Sydney, said: “The consequences are devastating and there is an urgent need to invest in prevention. In addition to providing personalized support to children and families, we can also reduce the stress families experience. “We need a wide range of policies to mitigate this.” She led the research.
The analysis also found that if child abuse were eradicated in Australia, more than 1.8 million cases of depression, anxiety and substance use disorders could be prevented.
“Investing in addressing child abuse has the potential to avert millions of cases of mental illness in Australia.”
The study also found that ending child abuse in Australia would prevent 66,143 years of life loss (deaths) and 118,493 years of life with disability in 2023, bringing the total to 18 years. It was also found that 4,636 years of healthy lives lost due to mental health conditions were prevented.
