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 an earlier period of
higher CSA incidence began following World War II. This study examines prevalence estimates
of sexual abuse reported retrospectively as having occurred in childhood (ChSA) in
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
household residents aged 18 years or older who participated in the 2012 Canadian
Community Health Survey–Mental Health (CCHS-MH). We present inter- and intrasurvey
comparisons of ChSA prevalence specific to sex and age groups.
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 to 1992 was a period of
higher risk of CSA, relative to the period before 1946. The evidence was more robust for
women.
Conclusion
Evidence of a decline in CSA in Canada since the early 1990s is encouraging,
given the long-term debilitating effects with which it is associated. Continued monitoring is
critical. The long-term negative effects associated with CSA underscore the importance of
continuing to move from lower risk to zero risk.