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Australian Child Maltreatment Study findings

As a part of Child Protection Week 2022, Professor Daryl Higgins, Professor Ben Mathews, and Dr Divna Haslam shared some emerging findings from the first-ever Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS).

They shared insights on the impact of child neglect and exposure to domestic and family violence on major mental health diagnoses (Major Depression, Generalised Anxiety Disorder, and PTSD) in adolescents. They also covered associations between corporal punishment and later mental health, and the overlap with specific forms of maltreatment.

These findings are based on data from 8500 Australian participants aged 16 years and over. More extensive findings will be released in 2023.

ACMS will not only determine how many Australian people have experienced child abuse and neglect, it will also examine associations with a range of physical and mental health outcomes as well as the burden of disease.

Read more about the study