Gender-Specific Significance of Peer Abuse during Childhood and Adolescence on Physical and Mental Health in Adulthood—Results from a Cross-Sectional Study in a Sample of Hospital Patients

Abstract

Peer abuse (PA) is a widespread and gender-sensitive form of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). However, research on its influence on physical and mental health in adulthood remains scarce. The aim of this study was to investigate gender-specific associations between PA and physical and mental health in adulthood in a sample of general hospital patients. A cross-sectional study at the University Hospital of Innsbruck was conducted. Data on ACEs, physical and mental health were collected using self-report questionnaires. We compared patients with no ACEs, PA only, ACEs without PA, and ACEs with PA using gender-specific binary logistic regressions to investigate the association of PA with physical and mental health. A total of 2,392 patients were included in the analyses. Women reported more emotional PA (13.1% vs. 9.4%; p = 0.006), while men reported more physical PA (8.3% vs. 5.2%; p = 0.003). PA was associated with a higher likelihood for depression (OR = 2.6), somatization (OR = 2.1), as well as worse physical health (OR = 2.1) in women but not in men. This study is the first to present data on the gender-specific detrimental effect of PA on physical and mental health in adulthood. Especially for women, PA poses a significant health risk. Thus, we should be aware of these effects and offer adequate support for affected individuals.

Higher Prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences in Transgender Than in Cisgender Individuals: Results from a Single-Center Observational Study

“…This may be partially caused by different definitions of ACEs; in the initial studies, parental divorce was included in the definition of ACEs, while later on, it was not routinely included. On the other hand, other forms of ACEs, such as peer abuse [ 16 ], were newly identified as important ACEs.…”

“…The term ACE is an umbrella concept which includes potentially traumatic events in childhood such as abuse, neglect, household challenges, bullying, and community violence that can negatively impact health, well-being, and prosperity throughout life [ 13 ]. Research has indicated a clear dose–effect relationship, meaning that a higher number of different ACEs is associated with a substantially increased risk for mental health conditions such as depression and suicide attempts as well as for physical and psychosomatic health problems and early death [ 12 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 ].…”

Assessing the Effectiveness of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Prevention Programmes in Low-and Middle-Income Countries: An Evaluation Review

“…Additionally, the traumatic death of a loved one, sudden and frequent relocation, serious accidents, lifethreatening illness or injury during childhood, exposure to or participation in pornography or prostitution, natural disasters, kidnapping, torture, war, terrorism, and living in refugee camps are some other types of adversity that have been described as new variations of ACEs (Inoue et al, 2019;Solberg & Peters, 2020). Other studies have focused on identifying ACEs in real-time and have found that growing up in poverty (Crouch et al, 2020), not having friends and being rejected by peers (Lampe et al, 2022), having poor academic performance (Agbaje et al, 2021), witnessing community violence (Lee et al, 2020) are among the significant childhood adversities that are associated with an increased risk of adverse life events and health outcomes throughout the lifespan. Examining short-term behavioural and emotional symptoms during childhood can better understand the association between ACEs and long-term health problems.…”