Physical violence and violent threats reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with a disability: cross sectional evidence from a nationally representative survey

Jeromey B Temple,Margaret Kelaher,Yin Paradies,Heather Wong,Scott Avery,Angeline Ferdinand

doi:10.1186/s12889-020-09684-4

Abstract

BackgroundA recent Royal Commission into the treatment of Australians living with disabilities has underscored the considerable exposure to violence and harm in this population. Yet, little is known about exposure to violence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities. The objective of this paper was to examine the prevalence, disability correlates and aspects of violence and threats reported by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities.MethodsData from the 2014–15 National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey were used to measure physical violence, violent threats and disability. Multivariable logistic and ordinal logistic regression models adjusted for complex survey design were used to examine the association between measures of disability and exposure to violence and violent threats.ResultsIn 2014–15, 17% of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–64 with disability experienced an instance of physical violence compared with 13% of those with no disability. Approximately 22% of those with a profound or severe disability reported experiencing the threat of physical violence. After adjusting for a comprehensive set of confounding factors and accounting for complex survey design, presence of a disability was associated with a 1.5 odds increase in exposure to physical violence (OR = 1.54 p < 0.001), violence with harm (OR = 1.55 p < 0.001), more frequent experience of violence (OR = 1.55 p < 0.001) and a 2.1 odds increase (OR = 2.13 p < 0.001) in exposure to violent threats. Severity of disability, higher numbers of disabling conditions as well as specific disability types (e.g., psychological or intellectual) were associated with increased odds of both physical violence and threats beyond this level. Independent of these effects, removal from one’s natural family was strongly associated with experiences of physical violence and violent threats. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women, regardless of disability status, were more likely to report partner or family violence, whereas men were more likely to report violence from other known individuals.ConclusionAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people with disability are at heightened risk of physical violence and threats compared to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people without disability, with increased exposure for people with multiple, severe or specific disabilities.

Highlights

A recent Royal Commission into the treatment of Australians living with disabilities has underscored the considerable exposure to violence and harm in this population
Our study found that within the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population, presence of a disability was associated with a 1.5 fold increase in the odds of exposure to physical violence, a higher frequency of violence, and doubling of the odds of experiencing threats of violence
This study shows that among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 1) presence of a disability was associated with a 1.5 fold increase in the odds of exposure to violence and doubling of odds of reporting violent threats, 2) that people with profound or severe disability experienced heightened exposure, in excess of double odds, 3) as were those with specific types of disabilities such as psychological or head injury, stroke and brain damage conditions

Summary

Introduction

A recent Royal Commission into the treatment of Australians living with disabilities has underscored the considerable exposure to violence and harm in this population. Little is known about exposure to violence among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people living with disabilities. In 2019, the Australian Government established a Royal Commission into the violence, abuse, neglect and exploitation of people living with a disability. In Australia, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have been subjected to multiple policies of forced removal from land and family, systematic discrimination from education, employment, and services, and currently experience vast inequalities in poverty, health, and overall quality of life outcomes [6,7,8,9]. International studies from the general population show disability and violence are interconnected, as people with disability face increased risk of exposure to violence and experiencing violence can often induce or cause disability [10,11,12,13]. Cultures of silence, encouragement to ignore violence as part of everyday experiences, and imposed norms of helplessness or worthlessness perpetuate cycles of violence [15, 18, 19]

Objectives

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion