Is child sexual abuse declining in Canada? Results from nationally representative retrospective surveys

Introduction: Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States since the early 1990s. Some evidence also indicates that CSA increased for a period following World War II. This study... [ view full abstract ]

Introduction: Numerous data sources suggest a decline in child sexual abuse (CSA) in the United States since the early 1990s. Some evidence also indicates that CSA increased for a period following World War II. This study examines prevalence estimates of sexual abuse reported retrospectively as having occurred in childhood (ChSA) from two nationally representative surveys of the Canadian population.

Methods: Data are from 13,931 respondents aged 18 to 76 years from the 2004-2005 Canadian Gender, Alcohol, and Culture: An International Study (GENACIS), and from 22,169 residents aged 18 years or older who participated in the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey-Mental Health. Inter- and intra-survey comparisons of the sex- and age-group-specific prevalence of ChSA are presented.

Results: Findings from both surveys suggest a decline in CSA since 1993, consistent with declines observed in the United States. Results also suggest that 1946-1992 was a period of higher risk of CSA, relative to the period prior to 1946. Although the evidence was more robust for women, the lower prevalence estimates for younger men in the CCHS suggests the possibility of a decline in that group since the early 1990s.

Conclusions: A decline in CSA in Canada since the early 1990s is encouraging, given the long-term debilitating effects with which it is associated. Retrospective, population-based, methodologically consistent surveys can provide an effective means of monitoring the impact of interventions aimed at further reducing CSA.