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Childhood Trauma: The Statistics
The following statistics relate to the UK. However, it should be pointed out that childhood trauma and abuse tends to be under-reported and under-recorded so the figures presented should only be taken as a guide. The statistics were gained by interviews with a large sample of young adults.
– a quarter of young adults were severely maltreated in childhood
– at present, there are approx. 50,000 children officially deemed to be at risk.
-approx. 15% of young adults have been severely maltreated by a parent or guardian during childhood
PHYSICAL ABUSE.
-just over 10% of young adults experienced violence by an adult during childhood.
NEGLECT.
– in family settings, this is the most common form of child abuse
– approx. 15% of young adults experienced neglect during their childhood
– approx. 10% of young adults experienced SEVERE neglect during childhood.
SEXUAL ABUSE.
– about one quarter of young adults experienced sexual abuse during childhood ( either by peer/s or adult/s).
– about 10% 0f children in the 11-17 year old age group have experienced sexual abuse in the last year
EMOTIONAL ABUSE.
– approx. 7% of young adults have experienced emotional abuse during childhood.
EXPOSURE TO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE.
– about one quarter of young adults experienced domestic violence between adults during their childhoods
Finally, it is worth pointing out again that due to both cover-ups and sometimes reluctance to report incidents these figures could be underestimates.
Because the statistics derive from young adults in the UK, it is likely that they give a fairly up-to-date picture of the situation.
David Hosier. BSc Hons; MSc; PGDE(FAHE).
Effects of Childhood Trauma, Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, cptsd, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) 