Lorraine Radford

The prevalence and impact of child maltreatment and other types of victimization in the UK: Findings from a population survey of caregivers, children and young people and young adults

OBJECTIVES To measure the prevalence of maltreatment and other types of victimization among children, young people, and young adults in the UK; to explore the risks of other types of victimization among maltreated children and young people at different ages; using standardized scores from self-report measures, to assess the emotional wellbeing of maltreated children, young people, and young adults taking into account other types of childhood victimization, different perpetrators, non-victimization adversities and variables known to influence mental health. METHODS A random UK representative sample of 2,160 parents and caregivers, 2,275 children and young people, and 1,761 young adults completed computer-assisted self-interviews. Interviews included assessment of a wide range of childhood victimization experiences and measures of impact on mental health. RESULTS 2.5% of children aged under 11 years and 6% of young people aged 11-17 years had 1 or more experiences of physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, or neglect by a parent or caregiver in the past year, and 8.9% of children under 11 years, 21.9% of young people aged 11-17 years, and 24.5% of young adults had experienced this at least once during childhood. High rates of sexual victimization were also found; 7.2% of females aged 11-17 and 18.6% of females aged 18-24 reported childhood experiences of sexual victimization by any adult or peer that involved physical contact (from sexual touching to rape). Victimization experiences accumulated with age and overlapped. Children who experienced maltreatment from a parent or caregiver were more likely than those not maltreated to be exposed to other forms of victimization, to experience non-victimization adversity, a high level of polyvictimization, and to have higher levels of trauma symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The past year maltreatment rates for children under age 18 were 7-17 times greater than official rates of substantiated child maltreatment in the UK. Professionals working with children and young people in all settings should be alert to the overlapping and age-related differences in experiences of childhood victimization to better identify child maltreatment and prevent the accumulative impact of different victimizations upon childrens mental health.

Trends in child maltreatment

2048 www.thelancet.com Vol 379 June 2, 2012 for HIV prevention, especially for specifi c high-risk populations. Mathematical models have illustrated PrEP’s potential eff ect on the epidemic trajectory. PrEP has been found to be cost-eff ective in a South African setting. By enhancing HIV prevention, PrEP aff ects the longterm sustainability of AIDS treatment programmes. Can we aff ord not to implement it?

Becoming grown-ups: a qualitative study of the experiences of peer mentors

Peer mentoring is the most common type of peer support framework used in English secondary schools, involving a one-to-one supportive relationship between pupils. Interpersonal benefits have been found for pupils who provide support to others, but there has been little exploration of the experience of being a peer mentor. This qualitative study aimed to provide an initial in-depth look at young people’s experiences. A semi-structured focus group was conducted with seven pupils aged 16–17 years in an English secondary school, who were acting as peer mentors to younger mentees or were becoming a mentor. Central thematic categories were identified using abbreviated grounded theory analysis. The central category Becoming grown-ups reflected the way the peer mentors felt the role helped to prepare them for adulthood. Other categories revealed that the role involved a nurturing relationship which benefited mentors but was also challenging. These findings extend the literature by revealing that these pupils may experience personal growth due to both positive and negative aspects of the role. It is recommended that further qualitative exploration of the experiences of peer mentors across multiple settings should be conducted, with findings used to enhance pupil training.