Disclosure and non-disclosure of childhood sexual abuse in Australia: Results from a national survey

Background

Little population-based evidence exists about prevalence of lifetime disclosure and non-disclosure of child sexual abuse (CSA). Evidence is lacking about disclosure by girls and women compared with boys and men, and gender diverse individuals. It is unclear if disclosure is more common in contemporary society, and if disclosure is influenced by abuse severity and perpetrator type.

Objective

We aimed to identify prevalence of lifetime disclosure of CSA, and prevalence by gender, age group, abuse severity and perpetrator.

Participants and setting

The Australian Child Maltreatment Study collected information about CSA victimisation from a nationally representative sample of 8503 individuals aged 16 and over; 28.5 % (n = 2348) experienced CSA and provided information about disclosure.

Methods

We generated national estimates of lifetime CSA disclosure, compared results by gender and age group, and identified differences by severity and perpetrator.

Results

Prevalence of lifetime CSA disclosure was 54.8 %, and prevalence of non-disclosure was 45.2 %. Disclosure was more common for women (60.3 %) than men (42.2 %). Disclosure was more common among those aged 16–24 (70.5 %) than those aged 25–44 (61.9 %) and 45 and over (46.2 %). Prevalence was similar across four CSA sub-types (47.2 %–58.2 %). Disclosure varied across perpetrator classes.

Conclusions

Population-wide, almost one in two people who experience CSA had not disclosed. Men and those aged 45 and over were less likely to disclose. Increased disclosure by younger participants indicates progress in societal understanding of CSA. However, continued widespread non-disclosure indicates further efforts are needed to support those with lived experience of CSA to seek assistance.