Risk factors associated with child maltreatment in the second generation of a prospective longitudinal Australian birth cohort: A MUSP study

Abuse and neglect affect over 1.7 billion children worldwide. While the consequences of child maltreatment (CM) across the life course are well understood, there remains ambiguity surrounding the risk factors associated with CM. This exploratory study examined the extent to which a wide range of sociodemographic, prenatal, and postpartum risk factors are associated with CM notifications in an Australian birth cohort. This was a prospective longitudinal birth cohort study using data from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy (MUSP) which began in 1981. Child protection data were linked to MUSP records, identifying agency-reported and substantiated CM notifications (including subtypes) up to 16 years of age. A range of sociodemographic and perinatal risk factors were examined. Children experienced higher odds of any agency-reported CM if their mothers did not have a high school education, had pregnancies at a young age, and were socially isolated postpartum. Similar risk factors were associated with substantiated CM. Female children had increased odds of both agency-reported and substantiated sexual abuse. Children born into large families had increased odds of agency-reported and substantiated neglect. First Nations status was not associated with any form of CM. Several individual, familial, and social risk factors were associated with CM in this cohort. Notably, different CM subtypes were associated with different risk factors. This research highlights key modifiable factors to support early intervention and prevention of CM. What’s known: • Maltreatment affects over 1.7 billion children worldwide What’s new: • CM was associated with mothers lacking high school education and young pregnancies • Maternal postpartum social isolation was significantly associated with CM • First Nation status was not associated with CM What’s relevant: • CM interventions should target modifiable risk factors and stop perpetuating stigma