Associations of child sexual and physical abuse with obesity and depression in middle-aged women

Abstract

Objective Examine whether (1) childhood maltreatment is associated with subsequent obesity and depression in middle-age; (2) maltreatment explains the associations between obesity and depression; and (3) binge eating or body dissatisfaction mediate associations between childhood maltreatment and subsequent obesity. Methods Data were obtained through a population-based survey of 4,641 women (mean age = 52 years) enrolled in a large health plan in the Pacific Northwest. A telephone survey assessed child sexual and physical abuse, obesity (BMI ≥ 30), depressive symptoms, binge eating, and body dissatisfaction. Data were analyzed using logistic regression models incorporating sampling weights. Results Both child sexual and physical abuse were associated with a doubling of the odds of both obesity and depression, although child physical abuse was not associated with depression for the African American/Hispanic/American Indian subgroup. The association between obesity and depression (unadjusted OR = 2.82; 95% CI = 2.20 – 3.62) was reduced somewhat after controlling for sexual abuse (adjusted OR = 2.54; 1.96 – 3.29) and for physical abuse (adjusted OR = 2.63; 2.03 – 3.42). Controlling for potential mediators failed to substantially attenuate associations between childhood maltreatment and obesity. Conclusions This study is the first to our knowledge that compares associations of child abuse with both depression and obesity in adults. Although the study is limited by its cross-sectional design and brief assessments, the fact that child abuse predicted two debilitating conditions in middle-aged women indicates the potential long-term consequences of these experiences.

The association between obesity and anxiety disorders in the population: a systematic review and meta-analysis

“…67 These compounds can affect hormonal homeostasis involved in weight and emotional regulation. 59,60,67 Individual factors might include childhood negative events (for example, child abuse), which have been found to predict excess weight 68,69 and anxiety disorders. 70 Premorbid personality traits, such as neurocriticism, hypersensitivity to criticism and avoidant coping styles, can also predispose individuals to anxiety and obesity.…”

Estudo de caso controle para avaliar o impacto do abuso sexual infantil nos transtornos alimentares

“…Trabalhos anteriores investigaram a relação entre ASI e sintomas compulsivos, ou ainda com a obesidade 21 -que se trata de condição distinta embora frequentemente associada ao TCAP 22 . Essa linha de estudo mostra relação positiva de eventos adversos estressores na infância com a obesidade e alterações da alimentação 21 , e tanto o abuso infantil físico quanto sexual elevaram os riscos de obesidade e depressão na vida adulta 23 , porém algumas vezes interroga-se se a associação é dada por causas outras que não psiquiátricas 24 . Dessa maneira, é evidente que pensar no abuso sexual como fator de risco para TCAP é campo ainda pouco explorado, merecedor de maiores investigações.…”

Depression in Women Experiencing Intimate Partner Violence

“…History of child abuse. A number of studies have found that child abuse underpins adult depression in abused women (J. C. Campbell, et al, 1997;Koopman et al, 2007;Rohde, et al, 2008;Shan A, 1995;Widom, DuMont, & Czaja, 2007). In particular, severe forms of child sexual abuse with penetration or attempted penetration is strongly association with adult depression (Cheasty, Clare, & Collins, 1998).…”

“…An evaluation often includes the checking of reliability, validity, sensitivity and responsiveness (Fong, in press). There are depression assessment tools with evidence supporting satisfactory psychometric performance in measuring depression for clinical settings (Maercker, Michael, Fehm, Becker, & Margraf, 2004;Pokorski & Siwiec, 2006;Rohde et al, 2008). The common tools are described in the next section.…”

“…It incorporates the DSM-IV depression diagnostic criteria (Rohde, et al, 2008). It consists of 9 items, covering nine depressive symptoms.…”