Prevalence of violence against children in the United Kingdom: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Violence against children can have extensive, long-term, and far-reaching adverse impacts on survivors and society. There is currently little consensus in the United Kingdom around the prevalence of violence against children: maltreatment, intimate partner violence, sexual violence, bullying, and community violence, and most existing studies focus on only a single or a few forms of violence. This study aims to produce data to highlight the current magnitude of the problem in the UK, to inform policy, drive action and allow for monitoring of progress over time. OBJECTIVE: To produce weighted prevalence estimates by violence type, as well as gender and age sub-categories, to give as full a picture as possible of the current prevalence of violence against children in the UK. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: The prevalence of violence against children from 23 self-report studies conducted in the United Kingdom was gathered through a systematic review. METHODS: Databases were searched from inception to 24th June 2022. Studies were reviewed systematically for appropriate data and meta-analyses were conducted to give pooled prevalence data based on a quality effects model. RESULTS: The most prevalent self-reported experience of childhood violence was community violence at 27.33 % (95 % CI [9.84, 48.97]). Prevalence of bullying was also high at 22.75 % (95 % CI [13.25, 33.86]). The most prevalent forms of child maltreatment were domestic violence exposure at 11.9 % (95 % CI [6.34, 18.84]) and emotional maltreatment at 11.84 % (95 % CI [5.58, 19.89]). CONCLUSION: National child maltreatment surveys are needed in the UK, using a comprehensive and conceptually robust approach, and valid and reliable instruments, to provide data for researchers and policymakers on the prevalence of all types of violence against children including exposure to multiple types. This allows monitoring of trends over time, can inform strategies for prevention, and can enable monitoring of future progress in reducing violence against children and its associated health and economic burden.

Child maltreatment and health service use: findings of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study.

OBJECTIVES: To examine associations between child maltreatment and health service use, both overall, by type and by the number of types of maltreatment reported. DESIGN, SETTING: Cross-sectional, retrospective survey using the Juvenile Victimization Questionnaire-R2: Adapted Version (Australian Child Maltreatment Study); computer-assisted mobile telephone interviews using random digit dialling, Australia, 9 April - 11 October 2021. PARTICIPANTS: Australians aged 16 years or more. The target sample size was 8500 respondents: 3500 people aged 16-24 years and 1000 respondents each from the five age groups (25-34, 35-44, 45-54, 55-64, 65 years or more). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-reported health service use during the past twelve months: hospital admissions, length of stay, and reasons for admission; and numbers of consultations with health care professionals, overall and by type. Associations between maltreatment and health service use are reported as odds ratios adjusted for age group, gender, socio-economic status, financial hardship (childhood and current), and geographic remoteness. RESULTS: A total of 8503 participants completed the survey. Respondents who had experienced child maltreatment were significantly more likely than those who had not to report a hospital admission during the preceding twelve months (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.39; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.16-1.66), particularly admission with a mental disorder (aOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.03-5.6). The likelihood of six or more visits to general practitioners (aOR, 2.37; 95% CI, 1.87-3.02) or of a consultation with a mental health nurse (aOR, 2.67; 95% CI, 1.75-4.06), psychologist (aOR, 2.40; 95% CI, 2.00-2.88), or psychiatrist (aOR, 3.02; 95% CI, 2.25-4.04) were each higher for people who reported maltreatment during childhood. People who reported three or more maltreatment types were generally most likely to report greater health service use. CONCLUSIONS: Child maltreatment has a major impact on health service use. Early, targeted interventions are vital, not only for supporting children directly, but also for their longer term wellbeing and reducing their health system use throughout life.