Forthcoming works present major new findings on: prevalence and associated outcomes of different types of emotional abuse; prevalence and associated outcomes of different types of sexual abuse; and the burden of disease attributable to child maltreatment.
We continue to engage with governments to translate ACMS results into reforms to policy, procedures, practice and practitioner education. Government departments across portfolios are making significant reforms, informed by the ACMS results, to improve outcomes for children, families, and those with lived experience.
We extended our engagement and knowledge translation in 2024 to overseas audiences. In 2023, we delivered over 100 presentations, mostly in Australia. In 2024, we have shared our work at major conferences and with leading research groups in the USA, Canada, the UK, and Sweden. Work with international policy bodies has shown the international significance of the ACMS research.
From 2024 to date, we have published new articles about important topics. These include: child sexual abuse prevalence by different perpetrators; child sexual abuse prevalence by leaders and adults in religious organisations; prevalence of diverse genders and sexualities and associations with child maltreatment and multi-type maltreatment; child maltreatment and associations with mental disorders and risk behaviours among gender diverse participants; disclosure of child sexual abuse; prevalence and characteristics of online childhood sexual victimisation; the prevalence and characteristics of bullying; and the prevalence of intimate partner violence. We also identified the economic cost of child maltreatment.
New findings of the ACMS: 2024 to date
We found four of the five types of child maltreatment are widespread in Australia. We also found that the harms associated with maltreatment are often severe and begin from an early age. Moreover, these harmful outcomes generally persist over life, still being apparent in people aged 45 and older.
The ACMS has found that Australians who experience maltreatment are substantially more likely to have:
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mental health disorders
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health risk behaviours
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higher health service utilisation.
We identified the prevalence of each type of child maltreatment across the Australian population (aged 16 and over).
In April 2023, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study team published the primary outcomes of the study in a special supplement of the Medical Journal of Australia and in a report. The ACMS generated the first national Australian prevalence estimates of the five types of child maltreatment, and their associated adverse impacts on health and other outcomes.
The first main findings of the ACMS: 2023
FINDINGS
Australian Child
Maltreatment Study
Statistics over two lines
Statistics over two lines
Statistics over two lines
Statistics over two lines
Statistics over two lines
ACMS findings have highlighted the early and ongoing harm associated with child maltreatment in Australia. Our findings show the influence of child maltreatment extends far beyond childhood and can persist across the life. Our data shows Australians who experience childhood maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence) are substantially more likely to have a mental disorder, engage in health risk behaviours, and to have high health service utilisation.
Impact of Child Maltreatment
Informed by this evidence, we made recommendations for reform and urged governments to take action to better prevent and respond to child maltreatment. Our findings and these recommendations are already informing policy and practice reforms to reduce child abuse and neglect in Australia. Our study is also important globally as it is one of the most comprehensive studies on child maltreatment ever conducted. Other countries are now considering how they may implement similar studies.
The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) is a landmark study of the prevalence of child maltreatment. We have generated essential data on how many Australians have experienced each of the five types of child maltreatment (physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence). We also measured associations between these different types of child maltreatment and mental disorders, health risk behaviours, and conditions, and the burden of disease.
