Prevalence and characteristics of child physical abuse in Sweden - findings from a population-based youth survey

Aim:  To examine prevalence rates of child physical abuse perpetrated by a parent/caretaker, abuse characteristics and the extent of disclosures. Methods:  A population‐based survey was carried out in 2008 amongst all the pupils in three different grades (n = 8494) in schools in Södermanland County,...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Acta Paediatrica Vol. 99; no. 8; pp. 1229 - 1236
Main Authors: Annerbäck, E-M, Wingren, G, Svedin, CG, Gustafsson, PA
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford, UK Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2010
Blackwell
Subjects:
Adolescent
Biological and medical sciences
Child Abuse - statistics & numerical data
Child physical abuse
Cross-Sectional Studies
Data Collection
Disclosure - statistics & numerical data
Epidemiology
Female
General aspects
Humans
Male
Medical sciences
MEDICIN
MEDICINE
Miscellaneous
Models, Theoretical
Multivariate Analysis
Parent-Child Relations
Parental intimate-partner violence
Prevalence
Public health. Hygiene
Public health. Hygiene-occupational medicine
Risk Factors
Spouse Abuse - statistics & numerical data
Sweden
Sweden - epidemiology
Sweden
Europe
Human
Marital relation
Parental behavior
Pediatrics
Prevalence
Aggression
Victimology
Epidemiology
Risk factors
Child abuse
Mistreatment
Sweden
Parental intimate-partner violence
Characteristics
Intimate partner violence
Population-based survey
Adolescent
Risk factor
Child physical abuse
Public health
ISSN:0803-5253, 1651-2227, 1651-2227
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Aim:  To examine prevalence rates of child physical abuse perpetrated by a parent/caretaker, abuse characteristics and the extent of disclosures. Methods:  A population‐based survey was carried out in 2008 amongst all the pupils in three different grades (n = 8494) in schools in Södermanland County, Sweden. The pupils were asked about their exposure to violence and their experiences of parental intimate‐partner violence. Data were analysed with bi‐ and multivariate models and a comparison between means of accumulating risk factors between three groups were performed. Results:  A total of 15.2% of the children reported that they had been hit. There were strong associations between abuse and risk factors and there was a dose–response relationship between risks and reported abuse. It was shown that children who reported parental intimate‐partner violence were at a considerably higher risk for abuse than other children and that only 7% of the children exposed to violence had disclosed this to authorities. Conclusion: Even though child abuse in Sweden has decreased markedly during the last 40 years, violence against children is still a considerable problem. It is a challenge to develop methods of assessment and interventions that will ensure that the violence and its underlying causes are directly addressed.
Bibliography:ArticleID:APA1792
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ISSN:0803-5253
1651-2227
1651-2227
DOI:10.1111/j.1651-2227.2010.01792.x