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Higgins DJ, Lawrence D, Haslam DM, Mathews B, Malacova E, Erskine HE, Finkelhor D, Pacella R, Meinck F, Thomas HJ, Scott JG. Prevalence of Diverse Genders and Sexualities in Australia and Associations With Five Forms of Child Maltreatment and Multi-type Maltreatment. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2024:10775595231226331. [PMID: 38214251 DOI: 10.1177/10775595231226331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2024]
Abstract
This study presents the most comprehensive national prevalence estimates of diverse gender and sexuality identities in Australians, and the associations with five separate types of child maltreatment and their overlap (multi-type maltreatment). Using Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) data (N = 8503), 9.5% of participants identified with a diverse sexuality and .9% with a diverse gender. Diverse identities were more prevalent in the youth cohort, with 17.7% of 16-24 years olds identifying with a diverse sexuality and 2.3% with a diverse gender. Gender and sexuality diversity also intersect - for example, with women (aged 16-24 and 25-44) more likely than men to identify as bisexual. The prevalence of physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence was very high for those with diverse sexuality and/or gender identities. Maltreatment was most prevalent for participants in the youth cohort with diverse gender identities (90.5% experiencing some form of child maltreatment; 77% multi-type maltreatment) or diverse sexualities (85.3% reporting any child maltreatment; 64.3% multi-type maltreatment). The strong association found between child maltreatment and diverse sexuality and gender identities is critical for understanding the social and mental health vulnerabilities of these groups, and informing services needed to support them.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daryl J Higgins
- Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - David Lawrence
- School of Population Health, Curtin University, Perth, WA, Australia
| | - Divna M Haslam
- School of Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Parenting and Family Support Centre, University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Ben Mathews
- School of Law, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Eva Malacova
- QIMR Berghofer, Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - Holly E Erskine
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
- School of Public Health, University of Queensland, Saint Lucia, QLD, Australia
- Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - David Finkelhor
- Crimes against Children Research Center, Department of Sociology, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, USA
| | - Rosana Pacella
- Institute for Lifecourse Development, University of Greenwich, London, UK
| | - Franziska Meinck
- School of Social & Political Science, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Faculty of Humanities, North-West University, Vanderbijlpark, South Africa
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Hannah J Thomas
- QIMR Berghofer, Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
- Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | - James G Scott
- QIMR Berghofer, Medical Research Institute, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Queensland Centre for Mental Health Research, Wacol, QLD, Australia
- Child and Youth Mental Health Service, Children's Health QLD, South Brisbane, QLD, Australia
- Child Health Research Centre, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
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