Violence in adulthood amplifies the health correlates of childhood maltreatment

Abstract

Background

Although experiences of violence are detrimental and may occur throughout the lifespan, few studies have examined the long-term health correlates of violence in both childhood and adulthood.

Objective

To examine the association of exposure to child maltreatment (CM) as well as severe violence in adulthood with mental and physical health problems and health-related risk behaviors in adulthood.

Methods

The study was cross-sectional and applied a novel survey instrument among a random sample of 10 337 Swedish women and men aged 18–74. Logistic regression was applied to calculate odds ratios.

Results

Exposure to 0, 1, 2 or 3 or more types of CM showed graded associations for depression, anxiety, self-harm and PTSD in adulthood. Irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and obesity showed modest correlations. No significant associations were found between CM and ischemic heart disease (IHD), type 2 diabetes or cancer, although the ORs were in line with several previous ACE studies. When exposure to severe violence in adulthood was added to CM, odds ratios increased dramatically for mental health problems and health-related risk behaviors, suggesting that revictimization may moderate or mediate this relationship.

Conclusions

The results underscore the importance of studying violence exposure in a life-course perspective and suggest that the relationship between childhood adversities and long-term physical health problems in adulthood may be affected by the traumatic effects of revictimization in adult life. This points to the importance of early identification of child maltreatment and provision of robust services to protect children, treat symtoms of trauma, and enhance resilience to decrease the risk of poor health outcomes.