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Childhood maltreatment linked to 40% of mental health conditions
Researchers say Australia is in need of a ‘wakeup call’, after a new study revealed the psychological toll child abuse is having across the country.
Childhood maltreatment accounts for 35% of cases of self-harm and 21% of depression cases in Australia.
Child abuse and neglect must be treated as a public health priority, according to a new study finding a direct link between the harms and poor mental health later in life.
The University of Sydney study, released today, has detailed the ‘shocking burden’ of childhood maltreatment, showing it goes on to cause up to 40% of life-long mental health conditions.
It found that if childhood maltreatment was eradicated in Australia, more than 1.8 million cases of depression, anxiety and substance use disorders could be prevented.
Lead author Dr Lucinda Grummitt said these results must serve as a ‘wakeup call’.
‘The results are devastating and are an urgent call to invest in prevention – not just giving individual support to children and families, but wider policies to reduce stress experienced by families,’ she said.
‘Investments to address childhood maltreatment have the potential to avert millions of cases of mental disorders in Australia.’
The abuse analysed included physical, sexual and emotional abuse, and emotional or physical neglect before the age of 18, while the conditions examined were anxiety, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, self-harm, and suicide attempts.
For the study, researchers examined data from more than 24,000 participants, while isolating other influential factors including genetics and social environments.
It concluded that maltreatment in childhood accounts for 41% of suicide attempts in Australia, 35% of cases of self-harm, and 21% of depression cases.
The study also estimates that if childhood maltreatment was eliminated in Australia last year, it would have prevented 66,143 years of life lost, and 118,493 years lived with disability.
Dr Wei-May Su, Chair of RACGP Specific Interests Abuse and Violence in Families, said the strong connections GPs have to their patients makes them well-placed to help navigate these complex and sensitive traumas.
‘It is often an area that GPs aren’t comfortable working in because sometimes they think it opens up a can of worms which they don’t feel well-equipped to handle, but I’d really like to reinforce that GPs are already good at this,’ she told newsGP.
‘Sometimes just being there, having a standing therapeutic relationship, and being a safe person for that patient is one of the most important aspects of recovery.
‘What’s important about this study, is it’s saying, life is more complicated than just ticking a box and saying, “you have anxiety, we’re going to give you a pill”, or “you have depression, we’re going to give you a pill”.
‘That’s not actually how life works, and our whole system needs to reflect how life works.’
Dr Grummitt said while there are effective interventions to support children, the most sustainable solution to stop child maltreatment is policy-driven prevention.
‘Policies to alleviate stress experienced by families, such as paid parental leave, affordable childcare, income support like Jobseeker, and making sure parents have access to treatment and support for their own mental health could make a world of difference for Australian children,’ she said.
‘Addressing the societal and economic conditions that give rise to child maltreatment can play a large part in preventing mental disorders at a national level.’
The recent introduction of state paid parental leave policies and timely access to subsidised childcare in parts of the US has been strongly linked to reduced rates of child maltreatment, Dr Grummit added.
The research comes after a separate study found 54% of Australians experienced maltreatment during their childhood, while suicide remains the leading cause of death for young people.
Dr Su said patients can feel most impacted by past traumas during a period of change in their life and may choose that moment to open up to their GP.
She said it is also important for GPs to work with the perpetrators of the maltreatment in a bid to end a cycle of violence.
‘It’s a really good message for GPs to have understanding and empathy that sometimes people behave in ways that don’t always hold true for their own values because of complicated reasons,’ Dr Su said.
‘GPs can be with someone in that journey to modify and change those behaviours, and we can help to protect the next generation.
‘We need to recognise the intergenerational aspect of this, how we recognise adults who may have had these experiences, and how it might be influencing their health outcomes.’
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