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Child maltreatment in Canada: prevalence and gender differences among youth

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: This study presents the first Canadian self-reported estimates of child maltreatment (CM) from youth using data from 5256 participants aged 15 to 17 years in the 2023 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth. CM prevalence was high, particularly for emotional abuse (44.9%) and exposure to caregiver emotional intimate partner violence (39.4%). Females reported higher prevalence of sexual abuse (8.1% vs. 1.5%) and emotional abuse (52.2% vs. 35.4%) than males. Youth identifying as nonbinary or with a gender different from their sex assigned at birth reported the highest prevalence across all CM types, including 22.4% for sexual abuse and 83.7% for emotional abuse. These finding underscore the need for targeted research and policies that address structural determinants of gender-based disparities.

Source: Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada

DOI: 10.24095/hpcdp.46.2.02

Authors: Britt McKinnon, Harriet L. MacMillan, Ashley Vandermorris, Katholiki Georgiades, Emma Nolan, Christina Catley, Isabelle Lévesque, Lil Tonmyr

Institutions: Public Health Agency of Canada, Government of Canada, McMaster University, University of Toronto, Hospital for Sick Children, Queen's University Belfast, Statistics Canada

Language: English

Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma

Subfield: Clinical Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDGs: Gender equality, Good health and well-being, Reduced inequalities, Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: diamond

OpenAlex ID: W7128438859

FWCI: 24

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Cited by: 3

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