title: Is child sexual abuse declining? Evidence from a population-based survey of men and women in Australia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Substantiated cases of child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States have declined significantly over the past decade. This may, or may not, reflect change in the underlying rate in the general population. This study examines age-cohort differences in the prevalence of self-reported CSA experiences of men and women aged 18-59 years in a community-based sample from a comparable western nation.
  
  
  METHODS
  In April 2000, we completed a cross-sectional, telephone-based survey of a randomly selected national sample of men and women in Australia. Volunteers (876 males, 908 females) answered a range of questions about health status and sexuality, including unwanted sexual experiences before the age of 16 years. Of selected adults with publicly-listed telephone numbers, 61% agreed to participate. There were few differences between the volunteers and the Australian population on demographic variables and health indicators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Non-penetrative CSA was twice as common among women (33.6%) than men (15.9%). Approximately 12% of women and 4% of men reported unwanted penetrative experiences. CSA was reported significantly less often by younger males, with a linear decline from the oldest to youngest men. Among all females who had intercourse before age 16, older women were much more likely than younger women to say they were an unwilling partner on the first occasion. If first intercourse occurred at age 16 or later, there were no age-cohort differences in risk of first-time abuse. Self-reported "openness" and "comfort" during the telephone interviews was not systematically related to prevalence of CSA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These population-based findings provide evidence of a decline in the underlying rate of CSA in Australia. Although every measure of CSA inevitably is flawed to some extent, these trends in self-report complement official statistics that show substantial decline in recent years.
authors.affiliation: Center for Public Health Research, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Qld 4059, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: Michael P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Dunne
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Purdie
authors.forename: Michelle D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cook
authors.forename: Frances M
authors.initials: FM
authors.lastname: Boyle
authors.forename: Jake M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Najman
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance; D015995:Prevalence