Summary: New research finds that adults who experienced both physical and sexual abuse in childhood are about twice as likely to suffer chronic physical and mental health issues, such as depression, arthritis, asthma, and heart conditions. Even experiencing one type of abuse significantly increased the odds of adverse health outcomes in adulthood.
Notably, the presence of a protective adult in the child’s home substantially reduced the severity of long-term health consequences associated with abuse. Even among non-abused children, lacking a protective adult increased their health risks, highlighting the importance of stable, supportive relationships during childhood.
Key Facts:
- Increased Health Risks: Adults abused as children have significantly higher odds (up to double) of chronic physical and mental health conditions.
- Protective Adults Reduce Harm: Having a safe adult at home lessens the negative health impacts associated with childhood abuse.
- Universal Benefit: Protective adult presence is beneficial for all children’s health, abused or not, reducing depression and physical health problems.
Source: University of Toronto
A new study published this week in Child Maltreatment found that in comparison to those who had not been abused in childhood, adults who had experienced both childhood physical and sexual abuse had approximately double the odds of physical and mental health conditions, including angina, arthritis, asthma, COPD, heart attack, depression, and disability — even after considering respondents’ age, race, income, and health behaviors, as well as obesity.
Those who had been sexually abused, but not physically abused, were 55% to 90% more likely to experience these health outcomes compared to their peers who had not experienced any abuse.
Adults who were physically abused, but not sexually abused, also had significantly elevated odds of these health outcomes compared to the non-abused, but the associations were more modest (between 20% to 50%).
“People don’t typically think about the impact early adversities can have on health outcomes later in life,” says first author Shannon Halls, a Research Coordinator at University of Toronto’s Institute for Life Course and Aging.
“Our research underscores the harmful associations between early adversities, such as sexual and/or physical abuse, and a wide range of health issues in adulthood.”
In exploring this association, the study also examined whether the presence of an adult in the home who made the child feel safe and protected was associated with better long-term health outcomes among children who experienced abuse.
“We found that when children experiencing abuse had a protective adult in their home, the negative impact of abuse on their health as adults was less severe,” says co-author Andie MacNeil, a doctoral student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW).
“Though more research is needed to pinpoint the precise mechanisms, it is evident that these relationships can play a key role in supporting children and mitigating the adverse health effects of abuse.”
The presence of a protective adult was not only important for children who had experienced abuse, but important for children who had not been abused as well. Children without a protective adult in their home, irrespective of childhood abuse status, were 20% to 40% more likely to experience adverse physical health outcomes and twice as likely to suffer from depression in adulthood.
“The implication here is that lacking the safe and stable relationships with adults can be just as harmful to children’s health as being physically abused,” says senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a Professor at FIFSW and Director for the Institute of Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto.
The study’s authors point to the need for future research to unpack these findings in particular.
“It will be important in future research to investigate why some adults in the home are not adequately protective of children, and to discuss potential primary prevention interventions that can help parents provide a more protective environment for children,” said co-author Philip Baiden, an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Arlington
The study analyzed data from the 2021 and 2022 Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System, a large representative sample from which over 80,000 adult U.S. respondents were included.
“Our research shows the importance of positive relationships between children and the adults in their lives” says Halls. “We hope that these findings can contribute to a better understanding for creating effective programs targeted at children experiencing abuse.”
About this child abuse and mental health research news
Author: Dale Duncan
Source: University of Toronto
Contact: Dale Duncan – University of Toronto
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“The Role of Protective Adults in Mitigating Health Outcomes Linked to Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse” by Shannon Halls et al. Child Maltreatment
Abstract
The Role of Protective Adults in Mitigating Health Outcomes Linked to Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse
Childhood physical and/or sexual abuse are associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Protective factors may contribute to resilience and reduce the risk of these adult health outcomes.
This study aims to determine if the presence of a protective adult can mitigate the association between childhood abuse and negative adult health outcomes. Data were obtained from the 2021 and 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (n = 83,495).
Binary logistic regression was used to compare the odds of health outcomes in adults who experienced abuse before age 18 compared to those who did not, adjusting for the presence of a protective adult and socio-demographic, socioeconomic, and health behavior factors.
Childhood physical and/or sexual abuse were associated with higher odds of physical and mental health conditions in adulthood. Adjusting for the presence of a protective adult partially attenuated the odds of many adult health outcomes.
Understanding protective factors associated with childhood abuse may improve targeted outreach and provide helpful direction for the development of effective programs for children experiencing abuse.
