Prevalence and characteristics of child physical abuse in Sweden – findings from a population‐based youth survey

Aim: To examine prevalence rates of child physical abuse perpetrated by a parent/caretaker, abuse characteristics and the extent of disclosures. Methods: A population‐based survey was carried out in 2008 amongst all the pupils in three different grades (n = 8494) in schools in Södermanland County, Sweden. The pupils were asked about their exposure to violence and their experiences of parental intimate‐partner violence. Data were analysed with bi‐ and multivariate models and a comparison between means of accumulating risk factors between three groups were performed. Results: A total of 15.2% of the children reported that they had been hit. There were strong associations between abuse and risk factors and there was a dose–response relationship between risks and reported abuse. It was shown that children who reported parental intimate‐partner violence were at a considerably higher risk for abuse than other children and that only 7% of the children exposed to violence had disclosed this to authorities. Conclusion: Even though child abuse in Sweden has decreased markedly during the last 40 years, violence against children is still a considerable problem. It is a challenge to develop methods of assessment and interventions that will ensure that the violence and its underlying causes are directly addressed.