title: Prevalence and demographic distribution of adult survivors of child abuse in Japan.
abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted with a national epidemiological survey to investigate the prevalence and demographic distribution of adult survivors of child abuse in Japan. A self-administered questionnaire was used to measure the history of child abuse and the demographic characteristics. The participants reported the following 4 types of child abuse: physical abuse (3%), sexual abuse (0.6%), neglect (0.8%), and psychological abuse (4%). Significant unequal distribution of child abuse was found to be associated with sex, living region, marital status, job status, and educational status. We determined the prevalence of adult survivors of child abuse in Japan and found that their demographic characteristics were unequally distributed. Policy makers and public health providers should take these demographic disparities into account in considering effective public health interventions for survivors of child abuse.
authors.affiliation: Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan tsuboi@jichi.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Satoshi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuboi
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Public Health, Saitama, Japan.
authors.forename: Honami
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Yoshida
authors.affiliation: Hamasaka Public Hospital, Hyogo, Japan.
authors.forename: Ryusuke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ae
authors.affiliation: Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kojo
authors.affiliation: Jichi Medical University, Tochigi, Japan.
authors.forename: Yosikazu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nakamura
authors.affiliation: Family Planning Research Center/Clinic, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Kunio
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kitamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003710:Demography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Japan; adult survivors; child abuse; demographic characteristics; descriptive epidemiology