06.04.2023

Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS)

Almost two-thirds of Australians have been abused, neglected, or exposed to domestic violence as children, according to self-reports provided to a major new study.

The five-year study, conducted by a team of researchers and headed up by Professor Ben Mathews of the Queensland University of Technology, found people who reported experiencing child maltreatment were far more likely to have poorer lifelong health outcomes than those who had not. Of the 8,503 respondents aged 16 or older, 62 per cent indicated experiences of maltreatment in childhood.

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) is a landmark Australian study of the prevalence of child maltreatment. The findings will inform policy and practice reforms to reduce child abuse and neglect in Australia.

The study is also important globally as it is one of the most comprehensive studies on child maltreatment ever conducted. The ACMS surveyed 8500 Australians aged 16 years and over to determine how many Australian people have experienced child abuse and neglect. However, it extends beyond basic prevalence by examining associations with a range of physical and mental health outcomes as well as the burden of disease.

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