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40 Percent of Mental Illnesses Linked to Childhood Maltreatment
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**Summary:** Up to 40% of prevalent mental health conditions,
including anxiety, depression, and substance abuse, stem from
childhood maltreatment. The study estimates that addressing childhood
maltreatment could prevent over 1.8 million cases of these disorders.
Specifically, childhood maltreatment accounts for 41% of suicide
attempts and 35% of self-harm cases nationally. This comprehensive
analysis underscores the urgent need to treat childhood abuse and
neglect as a public health priority, with potential policy
interventions to alleviate family stress and support mental health.
**Key Facts:**
1. **Extensive Impact** : Childhood maltreatment contributes signif
2. **Preventive Potential** : Eradicating childhood maltreatment co
3. **Policy Recommendations** : The study advocates for policy-driv
**Source:** University of Sydney
**A study examining childhood maltreatment in Australia has revealed
the shocking burden for Australians, estimating it causes up to 40
percent of common, life-long mental health conditions.**
The mental health conditions examined were anxiety, depression,
harmful alcohol and drug use, self-harm and suicide attempts.
Childhood maltreatment is classified as physical, sexual and emotional
abuse, and emotional or physical neglect before the age of 18.
Childhood maltreatment was found to account for 41 percent of suicide
attempts in Australia, 35 percent for cases of self-harm and 21
percent for depression.
Previous research (independent to the University of Sydney study)
found over half (53.8 percent) of Australians experienced maltreatment
during their childhood. Credit: Neuroscience News
The analysis, published in _JAMA Psychiatry_ is the first study to
provide estimates of the proportion of mental health conditions in
Australia that arise from childhood maltreatment.
The researchers said the results are a wakeup call for childhood abuse
and neglect to be treated as a national public health priority.
"The results are devasting 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," said Dr Lucinda Grummitt, from the University of Sydney's
Matilda Centre, who led the study.
"Investments to address childhood maltreatment have the potential to
avert millions of cases of mental disorders in Australia."
The analysis also 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.
The study also found elimination of childhood maltreatment in
Australia would, in 2023, have prevented 66,143 years of life lost
(death) and 118,493 years lived with disability, totaling 184,636
years of healthy life lost through mental health conditions.
Researchers examined data that included national surveys provided by
the Australian Child Maltreatment Study in 2023 (8500 participants),
the Australian National Study of Mental Health and Wellbeing 2020-2022
(15,893 participants) and the Australian Burden of Disease study 2023.
The study made use of analytical methods to investigate the link
between child maltreatment and mental health, which isolated other
influential factors such as genetics or social environments. This
provides stronger evidence that childhood maltreatment causes some
mental health conditions.
Mental health conditions are currently the leading cause of disease
burden globally and affect 13 percent of the global population. In
Australia, suicide is the leading cause of death for young people.
Previous research (independent to the University of Sydney study)
found over half (53.8 percent) of Australians experienced maltreatment
during their childhood.
Dr Grummitt said there are effective interventions, such as programs
to support children experiencing maltreatment or parent education
programs, but the most sustainable solution to prevent 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.
"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," Dr Grummitt said.
The researchers cite an example in the United States where the
introduction of state paid parental leave policies and timely access
to subsidised childcare were strongly linked to reduced rates of child
maltreatment.
## About this childhood trauma and mental health research news
**Author:** ****
**Source:** University of Sydney
**Contact:** Ivy Shih - University of Sydney
**Image:** The image is credited to Neuroscience News
**Original Research:** Closed access.
"Burden of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attributable to Childhood
Maltreatment" by Lucinda Grummitt et al. _JAMA Psychiatry_
* * *
**Abstract**
**Burden of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attributable to Childhood
Maltreatment**
**Importance**
The proportion of mental disorders and burden causally attributable to
childhood maltreatment is unknown.
**Objective**
To determine the contribution of child maltreatment to mental health
conditions in Australia, accounting for genetic and environmental
confounding.
**Design, Setting, and Participants**
This meta-analysis involved an epidemiological assessment accounting
for genetic and environmental confounding between maltreatment and
mental health and 3 cross-sectional national surveys: the Australian
Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) 2023, National Study of Mental Health
and Well-being 2020-2022, and Australian Burden of Disease Study 2023.
Causal estimates were derived on the association between childhood
maltreatment and mental health conditions from a meta-analysis of
quasi-experimental studies. This was combined with the prevalence of
maltreatment from the ACMS to calculate the population attributable
fraction (PAF).
The PAF was applied to the number and burden of mental health
conditions in Australia, sourced from 2 population-based, nationally
representative surveys of Australians aged 16 to 85 years, to generate
the number and associated burden of mental disorders attributable to
child maltreatment.
**Exposure**
Physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect prior to age
18 years.
**Main Outcomes and Measures**
Proportion and number of cases, years of life lost, years lived with
disability, and disability-adjusted life-years of mental health
conditions (anxiety, depression, harmful alcohol and drug use, self-
harm, and suicide attempt) attributable to childhood maltreatment.
**Results**
Meta-analytic estimates were generated from 34 studies and 54 646
participants and applied to prevalence estimates of childhood
maltreatment generated from 8503 Australians. Childhood maltreatment
accounted for a substantial proportion of mental health conditions,
ranging from 21% (95% CI, 13%-28%) for depression to 41% (95% CI,
27%-54%) of suicide attempts.
More than 1.8 million cases of depressive, anxiety, and substance use
disorders could be prevented if childhood maltreatment was eradicated.
Maltreatment accounted for 66 143 years of life lost (95% CI, 43
313-87 314), primarily through suicide, and 184 636 disability-
adjusted life-years (95% CI, 109 321-252 887).
**Conclusions and Relevance**
This study provides the first estimates of the causal contribution of
child maltreatment to mental health in Australia. Results highlight
the urgency of preventing child maltreatment to reduce the population
prevalence and burden of mental disorders.
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