Children's Exposure to Parental and Familial Adversities: Findings from a Population Survey of Australians

Abstract

The experience of trauma, loss and bereavement during childhood have both immediate and long-term consequences for health and general wellbeing. Children who have experienced the death of a parent or witnessed violent and/or traumatic events report more psychological symptoms than those who have not (Cerel, Fristad, Verducci, Weller, & Weller, 2006; Freeman, Mokros, & Poznanski, 1993). Children's exposure to violence has also been associated with lower IQ scores and poorer reading ability (Delaney-Black et al., 2002). Further, retrospective reports of physical and sexual abuse and maltreatment during childhood have consistently been linked to an increased likelihood of depression (Chapman et al., 2004; Diaz, Simantov, & Rickert, 2002; Molnar, Buka, & Kessler, 2001), suicidality (Mullen, Martin, Anderson, Romans, & Herbison, 1996), low self-esteem (Diaz et al., 2002; Mullen et al., 1996) and alcohol and drug use during adolescence and adulthood (Diaz et al., 2002; Molnar et al., 2001).