Agency notification and retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment in a 30-Year cohort: Estimating population prevalence from different data sources

Jackob M Najman; Steve Kisely; James G Scott; Lane Strathearn; Alexandra Clavarino; Gail M Williams; Christel Middeldorp; David Bernstein

doi:10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104744

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Agency notification and retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment in a 30-Year cohort: Estimating population prevalence from different data sources

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Agency notification and retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment in a 30-Year cohort: Estimating population prevalence from different data sources

Jackob M Najman, Steve Kisely, James G Scott, Lane Strathearn, Alexandra Clavarino, Gail M Williams, Christel Middeldorp and David Bernstein

Child abuse & neglect, Vol.109, pp.1-10

11/2020

DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104744

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Abstract

•Agency notifications and self-reports of childhood maltreatment are weakly associated.•Most children notified to agencies do not report the maltreatment occurred.•Most children who report childhood maltreatment are not reported to relevant agencies. There is little known about how two sources of child maltreatment reports correspond, specifically for emotional, physical, sexual abuse and emotional or physical neglect. To compare agency and self-reports of child maltreatment and determine whether they are predicted by similar early life course adverse experiences. Participants Data are taken from a long running birth cohort study (Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy - MUSP). Mothers (N=7223) were recruited in 1981-83 and their children were followed-up 30 years later (2010-14). In 2000 data from the relevant child protection agency were accessed and linked to the survey data. Setting Consecutive women giving birth to a live singleton baby at a major obstetrical service in Brisbane, Australia were recruited and both mother and child were repeatedly follow-up over a 30 year period. Methods Birth cohort study with data linkage of child protection agency records and self-report survey data (using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire - CTQ) of childhood maltreatment experiences. We compare reports of emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect using agency and self-reports (Cramer's V and kappa). Most children who are notified cases of maltreatment subsequently self-report they experienced little or no maltreatment in childhood. Most children who report experiencing severe maltreatment have not previously been notified to the protection agency. Teenage mothers have children who are notified 2.89 (1.52, 5.52) times, self-report 2.01 (1.31, 3.09) times and both notified and self-report 3.61 (2.26, 6.10) times more than their older comparison mothers. Different methods of assessing maltreatment identify different subsets of those children who have experienced maltreatment.

Validity

Agency notification

Selfreport

Neglect

Sexual abuse

Physical abuse

Emotional abuse

Details

Title: Subtitle: Agency notification and retrospective self-reports of childhood maltreatment in a 30-Year cohort: Estimating population prevalence from different data sources
Creators: Jackob M Najman - School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia
Steve Kisely - Faculty of Medicine, The University of Queensland, Princess Alexandra Hospital, Woolloongabba, QLD, 4102, Australia
James G Scott - Child and Youth Research Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, 300 Herston Road, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia
Lane Strathearn - Stead Family Department of Pediatrics, University of Iowa, 200 Hawkins Drive, Iowa City, IA, 52242, USA
Alexandra Clavarino - School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia
Gail M Williams - School of Public Health, The University of Queensland, 288 Herston Road, Herston, QLD, 4006, Australia
Christel Middeldorp - Child Health Research Centre, Centre for Children’s Health Research, The University of Queensland, 62 Graham Street, South Brisbane, QLD, 4101, Australia
David Bernstein - Clinical Psychological Science Department, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Univesiteitssingel 40, 6229 ER, Maastrichts, Netherlands
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Child abuse & neglect, Vol.109, pp.1-10
DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2020.104744
ISSN: 0145-2134
eISSN: 1873-7757
Publisher: Elsevier Ltd
Grant note: name: The National Health and Medical Research Council
Language: English
Date published: 11/2020
Academic Unit: Psychiatry; Stead Family Department of Pediatrics; Iowa Neuroscience Institute; Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics; Neuroscience and Pharmacology
Record Identifier: 9984070260902771

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