Child Abuse and Neglect - can it help Psychiatry to heed the effects of trauma on mental health

Approximately 2.5 million Australian adults (13%) have experienced abuse during their childhood according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2019. This includes 1.6 million adults (8.5%) who experienced childhood physical abuse and 1.4 million adults who experienced childhood sexual abuse. The average age at which the first incident of sexual abuse occurred was 8.8 years and for physical abuse 8.1 years and 6.8 years for persons who experienced both physical and sexual abuse. 12% of men who had experienced childhood abuse had a psychological disability compared with 3% who did not experience childhood abuse; 29% had a physical disability compared with 19% who did not experience childhood abuse and in women 35% had a physical disability compared with 4% who did not experience childhood abuse; and 13% of women had a psychological disability compared with 4% who did not experience childhood abuse. The worldwide average trauma exposure rate is 69% for children and adults 2 and 40%...