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Incidence of physical abuse

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

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In literature, the younger children (predominantly <3 years) are considered to be the most likely age group to be physically abused.

  • it is not restricted to this age group since children up to late teens are also at risk of being abused
  • the highest rate of abuse is seen in children aged <1 (21.9 per 1000 children) (1)

Sociodemographic characteristics seem to vary from country to country. Increased prevalence of physical abuse was associated with:

  • lower socioeconomic status
  • immigrant children - in Sweden, these children are eight times more likely to be reported as abused
  • asylum seekers
  • internationally adopted children (1)

Disabled children and children with behavioural or learning difficulties may become more vulnerable to abuse (1). In addition to children, elderly people are also at a risk of being abused (2).

  • according to a summary of international elder abuse prevalence, as many as 4.3% of older adults are reported to be physically abused annually
  • the reported rates are higher for dependant older adults with caregivers (2)

Reference:


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