A follow-up study of mental health service utilisation in a cohort of 2433 sexually abused Australian children utilising five years of medical data
Abstract
There are well established links between child sex abuse (CSA) and a range of mental health adversities in the literature. However, there has been very limited examination of mental health care needs of CSA survivors, indicated by contacts with mental health professionals. Similarly, no existing research has examined rates of prescription of psychopharmacology to CSA survivors. Service utilisation is a vital component of the health landscape, and a clear understanding of the mental health care needs of CSA survivors is central to policy formation regarding mental health funding. Therefore, this study aimed to assess differences in rates of mental health care utilisation and rates of prescription of psychopharmacology during adulthood between individuals with a history of CSA and a comparison sample from the general population without a known abuse history. The forensic medical records of 2433 CSA victims identified between 1964 and 1995 were linked to Australian medical and medication-use data accessed between 2010 and 2015, when victims were, on average, aged between 28.78 and 33.78 years. CSA cases were compared to a matched comparison cohort on rates of contact with mental health professionals and prescriptions for mood stab...Continue Reading
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