research has found children who have been abused or neglected are likely to struggle academically during adolescence.
The research drew upon data from the (MUSP) 鈥� a longitudinal study of more than 7000 mothers and their children born at Brisbane's Mater Hospital from 1981-83.
Lead author and paediatrician Ryan Mills said the research involved confidentially linking allegations of maltreatment reported to the Department of Families, Youth and Community Care with the MUSP database.
鈥淏oth child abuse and child neglect are independently associated with impaired cognition and academic functioning in adolescence,鈥� Dr Mills said.
鈥淭hese findings suggest that both abuse and neglect have independent and important adverse effects on a child鈥檚 cognitive development.鈥�
The MUSP database provided results of numeracy, literacy and abstract reasoning tests completed by 3796 adolescents at age 14.
The 298 adolescents (7.9 percent) who had been reported as victims of maltreatment scored the equivalent of approximately three IQ points lower than those who had not been maltreated, after accounting for a large range of socioeconomic and other factors.
Co-author Lane Strathearn, a 国产探花 medical and PhD graduate now based at the and , said this study was one of the first to analyse outcomes of abuse and neglect independently.
鈥淪tudies have repeatedly demonstrated that at least half of maltreated children experience more than one type of abuse or neglect,鈥� Dr Strathearn said.
鈥淥ur sample was no different; 74 percent of the children reported to the state as suspected cases of neglect also had been reported as suspected victims of abuse.
鈥淥ur method involved grouping the physical, emotional and sexual abuse cases together and assessing both abuse and neglect - reported or substantiated - as independent nonexclusive predictor variables.鈥�
The results highlighted the seriousness of child neglect, Dr Strathearn said.
鈥淭he effects of abuse and neglect were found to be independent and quantitatively similar; children who experienced both abuse and neglect were doubly affected,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he results support the notion that child neglect has developmental effects that are independently at least as deleterious as abuse, which has important implications for the allocation of resources into additional research into, and prevention of, child neglect.鈥�
Dr Mills and Dr Strathearn worked with a team of 国产探花 colleagues, including Rosa Alati, Michael O'Callaghan, Jake Najman, Gail Williams and William Bor.
The study was published online this month in medical journal Pediatrics.
Media: Dr Mills (Ryan_Mills@health.qld.gov.au), Dr Strathearn (lanes@bcm.edu (based in Texas)) or Penny Robinson at 国产探花 Communications (07 3365 9723, penny.robinson@uq.edu.au)
