Estimating burden of disease attributable to child maltreatment using findings from the Australian Child Maltreatment Study.

aimsPrevention of child maltreatment - incorporating physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, neglect and exposure to domestic violence - is a clearly defined global policy priority. Global Burden of Disease studies have focused on estimating burden attributable to childhood sexual abuse omitting other forms of child maltreatment. This study aims to estimate burden attributable to child maltreatment using data from the first comprehensive national study, the Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS), accounting for the co-occurrence of multiple forms, the complex impact of multi-type maltreatment and the contribution of interrelated factors.

methodsWe estimated burden attributable to child maltreatment by age and gender for Australia in 2021. Risk-outcome pairs that met criteria for sufficient evidence for a causal relationship were included. Relative risks were estimated as a function of exposure based on data from the ACMS incorporating increased risk with multi-type maltreatment and adjustment for confounding. Levels of exposure in each of the 32 mutually exclusive combinations or patterns of child maltreatment were estimated based on ACMS data by age and gender. The theoretical minimum risk exposure level was determined as no exposure to child maltreatment in the population and population attributable fractions (PAFs) were calculated. Attributable mortality, years of life lost, years lived with disability and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) were estimated by multiplying PAFs by the relevant burden of disease estimates by age and gender for Australia in 2021. Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results. Uncertainty was propagated into attributable burden estimates using Monte Carlo simulation methods.

resultsOverall, child maltreatment accounted for 6.6% (95% uncertainty interval (UI), 6.2-6.9%) of all DALYs for women and 6.4% (95% UI, 6.0-6.7%) of all DALYs for men in Australia in 2021. An estimated 71.2% of self-harm, 57.1% of anxiety disorders and 49.3% of major depressive disorder (MDD) DALYs in women, and 63.8% of self-harm, 55.9% of anxiety disorders and 42.9% of MDD DALYs in men were attributable to child maltreatment.

conclusionsChild maltreatment contributes to a substantial proportion of burden of disease in Australia, equivalent to leading lifestyle-related risk factors such as high body mass index, high blood pressure and smoking. This research significantly advances knowledge of the disease burden attributable to child maltreatment and provides novel methodology for measuring the impact of all five forms of child maltreatment combined on mental health and health risk behaviours nationally and globally.