Objective. Research suggests a role of early-life trauma in the development of arthritis. This study investigated the relationship between childhood physical abuse and osteoarthritis (OA) while controlling for age, sex, race, and socioeconomic status (SES), in addition to the following types of risk factors for OA: 1) concurrent childhood stressors, 2) adult health behaviors, and 3) depression. Methods. Data from the provinces of Manitoba and Saskatchewan were selected from the 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey (n ‫؍‬ 13,093). Respondents with missing arthritis data or with arthritis types other than OA were excluded (n ‫؍‬ 1,985). Of the 11,108 remaining respondents, 6.9% (n ‫؍‬ 854) reported childhood physical abuse by someone close to them, and 10.1% (n ‫؍‬ 1,452) reported that they had been diagnosed with OA by a health professional. The regional-level response rate was 84%. Results. When adjusting for all 3 types of risk factors, a significant association between childhood physical abuse and OA was found (odds ratio [OR] 1.56, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.21-2.00). In contrast, when adjusting for age, sex, race, and SES only, the OR was 1.99 (95% CI 1.57-2.52). Conclusion. The association between childhood physical abuse and OA remained significant, even after controlling for many risk factors that may mediate the relationship. Further research is needed to investigate potential pathways through which arthritis develops as a consequence of childhood physical abuse.

Aims. To examine the relationship between a history of parental addictions and the cumulative lifetime incidence of arthritis while controlling for age, sex, race, and four clusters of risk factors: (1) other adverse childhood experiences, (2) adult health behaviors (i.e., smoking, obesity, inactivity, and alcohol consumption), (3) adult socioeconomic status and (4) mental health. Materials and Methods. Secondary analysis of 13,036 Manitoba and Saskatchewan respondents of the population-based 2005 Canadian Community Health Survey. Sequential logistic regression analyses were conducted. Findings. After controlling for demographic characteristics, including age, gender, and race, respondents who reported a history of parental addictions had significantly higher odds of arthritis in comparison to individuals without (OR = 1.58; 95% CI 1.38-1.80). Adjustment for socioeconomic status, adult health behaviors, and mental health conditions had little impact on the parental addictions and arthritis relationship. The association between parental addictions and arthritis was substantially reduced when adverse childhood experiences (OR = 1.33; 95% CI 1.15-1.53) and all four groups of risk factors collectively (OR = 1.30; 95% CI = 1.12-1.51) were included in the analyses; however, the relationship remained statistically significant. Conclusions. A robust association was found between parental addictions and cumulative lifetime incidence of arthritis. This link remained even when controlling for four groups of potential risk factors.