Frontline Initiative Trauma-Informed Care
Statistics about trauma
- Children and adults with disabilities are physically and sexually abused much more often than those without disabilities.
- Children with disabilities are 2–3 times more likely to be maltreated than children without disabilities. 1,2
- Children with disabilities are less likely to report abuse.3
- Between 26–90% of women with disabilities have experienced at least one instance of sexual or physical violence. 4
- Between 29–87% of men with disabilities have experienced at least one instance of sexual or physical violence. 4
- People with disabilities are 4–10 times more likely to be victims of crimes than people without disabilities. 5
- Most abusers are close to the victims, such as family members and paid caregivers.6
1 Goldson, E. (2001). Maltreatment among children with disabilities. Infants and Young Children, 13(4), 44-54.
2 Sullivan, P.M., & Knutson, J.F. (2000). Maltreatment and disabilities: A population-based epidemiological study. Child Abuse and Neglect, 24(10), 1257-1273.
3 Hershkowitz, I., Lamb, M.E., & Horowitz, D. (2007). Victimization of children with disabilities. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 77(4), 629-635.
4 Hughes, R.B., Lund, E.M., Gabrielle, J., Powers, L.E., & Curry, M.A. (2011). Prevalence of interpersonal violence against community-living adults with disabilities: A literature review. Rehabilitation Psychology, 56(4), 302-319.
5 Sobsey, D. , Lucardie, R., & Mansell, S. (1995). Violence and disability: An annotated bibliography. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.
6 Sobsey, D., Doe, T. (1991). Patterns of sexual abuse and assault. Sexuality and Disability, 9(3), 243-259.