Clinical Characteristics of Women With a History of Childhood Abuse

Abstract

Childhood physical or sexual abuse is associated with adult health problems including physical symptoms, psychological problems, and substance abuse; for many variables, this association is as strong as for patients experiencing current abuse.

Importance of Studying the Contributions of Early Adverse Experience to Neurobiological Findings in Depression

“…One study comprised of almost 2000 women revealed that those with a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse exhibited more symptoms of depression and anxiety and had more frequently attempted suicide than women without a history of childhood abuse (McCauley et al, 1997). Women who have been abused in childhood are four times more likely to develop syndromal major depression in adulthood than women who have not been abused, and the magnitude of the abuse is correlated with the severity of depression (Mullen et al, 1996).…”

Phenomenology and psychological assessment of complex posttraumatic states

“…Such maltreatment not only may produce lasting sequelae itself, but also is a risk factor for being revictimized in the future (Neumann, Houskamp, Pollock, & Briere, 1996) and for responding to later traumatic events with more severe and complex symptoms (e.g., Bremner, Southwick, Johnson, Yehuda, & Charney, 1993). Also associated with more extreme posttraumatic responses are a range of person-level variables, including nervous system hyperreactivity (Yehuda, 1997), the presence of other anxiety, depressive, or personality-level disorders (Breslau, Davis, & Andreski, 1991), and excessive use of drugs or alcohol (Acierno, Resnick, Kilpatrick, Saunders, & Best, 1999) -all of which both moderate the effects of trauma exposure and may arise themselves, from previous traumatic events (McCauley et al, 1997). Finally, response complexity is often affected by environmental variables such as inadequate social support (Steketee & Foa, 1987), lower socioeconomic status (e.g., Bassuk, Dawson, Perloff, & Weinreb, 2001), and stigmatization associated with certain traumatic experiences (e.g., Lebowitz & Roth, 1994), and may vary according to whatever idioms of distress are most acceptable within a given culture (Marsella, Friedman, Gerrity, & Scurfield, 1996).…”

The role of childhood trauma in the neurobiology of mood and anxiety disorders: preclinical and clinical studies

“…Increased rates of major depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and other behavioral disorders have been reported for maltreated children (e.g., Famularo et al 1992;Pelcovitz et al 1994). Representative of many other studies, a community-based study of almost 2000 adult women revealed that those with a history of childhood sexual or physical abuse, but not adulthood rape or physical assault, exhibited more symptoms of depression and anxiety and had more frequently attempted suicide than women without a history of childhood abuse (McCauley et al 1997). Syndromal major depression and anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and PTSD, are frequent in adults with a history of childhood abuse (e.g., Felitti et al 1998;Mullen et al 1996;Saunders et al 1992;Stein et al 1996).…”