Prevalence of Childhood Sexual Abuse and Adolescent Unwanted Sexual Contact Among Boys and Girls Living in Victoria, Australia

• NCJ Number: 231062
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 34 Issue: 5 Dated: May 2010 Pages: 379-385
• Author(s): Elya E. Moore; Helena Romaniuk; Craig A. Olsson; Yasmin Jayasinghe; John B. Carlin; George C. Patton
• Date Published: May 2010
• Length: 7 pages
• Grant Number(s): 436914
• Sponsoring Agency: National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia (NHMRC)
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study estimated the prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) among girls and boys in a large representative sample from the general population of Victoria, Australia using a validated retrospective questionnaire.

Abstract

Results of the study highlight the high prevalence of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and unwanted sexual contact among girls as well as boys. CSA is associated with both short- and long-term adverse mental and physical health consequences, yet controversy continues to circulate about the prevalence of CSA in the general population. The purpose of this study was to estimate the prevalence of CSA among girls and boys using a representative sample from the general population, and a validate definition of CSA collected retrospectively. The study also investigated unwanted sexual contact measured in adolescence using a prospective self-administered measure. The study utilized data from a 10-year cohort study of a nationally representative sample of students aged 14-15 years in Victoria, Australia from 1992 to 2003. Figure, tables, and references