The ACMS report provides an overview of the background and methodology of the Australian Child Maltreatment Study including approach to instrument adaptation and refinement and overall methodology. It then provides a brief summary of each of the major findings including:
- The prevalence of all five types of child maltreatment among the Australian population and among young people aged 16-24 years of age.
- The prevalence of multi-type maltreatment among the Australian population and among young people aged 16-24 years of age.
- The associations between experiences of child maltreatment and mental health disorders (major depressive disorder, generalised anxiety disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, alcohol use disorder).
- The associations between experiences of child maltreatment and health risk behaviours including suicide and non-suicidal self-injury (self-harm), binge drinking, cannabis dependence, obesity and smoking.
- The associations between experiences of child maltreatment and health service use.
The report ends with a series of 8 key recommendations.
