Child abuse and eating disorders

A team of researchers from the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona have been looking into the links between disordered eating and childhood physical and sexual abuse. They studied 708 female undergraduates aged between 18 and 30 asking them about traumatic events in their past and about their current attitudes to food and their weight. The study found that 14.3% of the sample had suffered childhood sexual abuse and 3.8% childhood physical abuse. The women who had been sexually abused as children were more concerned about weight, however, once depression, anxiety, self-esteem, body-mass index, age and socioeconomic status were taken into account there was no link between sexual abuse and disordered eating behaviours. Childhood physical abuse was associated with a decreased risk of disordered eating and the researchers thought that this was because women who had been physically abused were more concerned with just having a safe, healthy body rather than their weight or physical appearance.

Villarroel, Ana M. ... [et al] - Childhood physical and sexual abuse in Spanish female undergraduates: does it affect eating disturbances? European Eating Disorders Review DOI: 10.1002/erv.1086

Child abuse and false confessions

Compliance involves people responding favourably to requests. In some cases this can be a good thing but in other instances it can lead to people making false confessions when pressure by the police, people being pressurised by their peers to commit crimes and people taking the blame for others' midemeanours. Some studies have shown a significant association between adverse events in people's childhoods, such as physical and sexual abuse, and the tendency to make false confessions and a team of researchers from King's College London and the University of Iceland looked into this further in a study of 113 people receiving outpatient treatment for substance misuse. They found that 64% of the sample reported more than one type of abuse and that compliance was significantly related to parental neglect and physical and sexual abuse. People who suffered from stress and low self-esteem were more likely to have suffered neglect as children while people who were more compliant were more likely to have been sexually abused. Suffering from more than one type of abuse had a multiplying effect on people's tendency to be compliant.

Gudjonssson, Gisli Hannes,  Sigurdsson, Jon Fridrik and Tryggvadottir, Hjordis Bjorg - The relationship of compliance with a background of childhood neglect and physical and sexual abuse The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology DOI: 10.1080/14789949.2010.524707

Child abuse and alcohol problems

Child abuse is a big public-health problem with 794,000 confirmed cases in the U.S. in 2007. It is a risk factor for a number of different problems including alcohol abuse, but less is known about this link in boys than in girls. Researchers from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles studied 3,527 men aged between 17 and 56. Approximately 9% of the participants reported childhood maltreatment - defined as serious neglect or physical or sexual abuse occurring before the age of 15. Those who had been abused were 74% more likely to develop an alcohol problem.

Young-Wolff, K.C. ... [et al] - Accounting for the association between childhood maltreatment and alcohol-use disorders in males: a twin study Psychological Medicine (2011), 41, 59–70
 

Tough childhoods, emotional reactivity, depression and anxiety

To some extent everybody suffers from stress but some people seem to get more worked up about it than others, something psychologists call emotional, or stress, reactivity. Psychologists have known for a long time that adverse childhood experiences can make people more prone to suffer from depression and anxiety as adults and some think that increased emotional reactivity is one of the ways it might do this. A team of researchers from Harvard School of Public Health looked into this in a study of 268 men who were studied from late adolescence over a seventy-year period. They found that people with better overall childhood environments and a greater number of environmental strengths were at a smaller risk of developing depression or anxiety as adults. Families from poorer backgrounds and with childhood environments characterized by greater conflict and adversity had higher emotional reactivity and higher emotional reactivity in turn predicted the development of adult mood and anxiety disorders.

McLaughlin, Katie A. ... [et al] - Childhood social environment, emotional reactivity to stress, and mood and anxiety disorders across the life course Depression and anxiety 27(12), 1087-1094

Child abuse and psychosis

There is a growing recognition that having a difficult or traumatic childhood can increase the likelihood of people developing psychosis later in life but it is difficult to disentangle what types of trauma or abuse are linked to an increased risk. A team of researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London looked into this further in a study of 428 people, 182 of whom had psychosis. The researchers asked people about difficulties and problems in their childhood and found that people with psychosis were three times more likely to report severe physical abuse by their mother before they were 12. There was also some - although not statistically significant - evidence that 'severe maternal antipathy' was linked to an increased risk of psychosis. However, paternal maltreatment and other forms of adversity were not linked to an increased risk of psychosis.

Fisher, H.L. ... [et al] - The varying impact of type, timing and frequency of exposure to childhood adversity on its association with adult psychotic disorder Psychological Medicine (2010), 40, 1967–1978

Child sex abuse and schizophrenia risk

Being sexually abused as a child is a risk factor for psychosis and schizophrenia. Researchers from Monash University in Australia studied 7,697 people, 2,759 of whom had - according to police and medical records - been sexuall abused as children. They found that over a 30-year period people who had suffered child abuse had double the rate of psychosis (2.8% vs 1.4%) and nearly treble the rate of schizophrenia (1.9% vs 0.7%). Those who had suffered penetration of an orifice by another person or an object were at an even greater risk of psychosis and schizophrenia - 3.4% and 2.4% respectively.

Memory, child abuse and depression

Autobiographical memory is our memory of events and experiences from our own past rather than of skills like how to make a cup of tea, or facts like what the capital of Sweden is. Psychologists divide autobiographical memories into a number of different kinds. They can be of specific events, extended periods of time or of different categories of events e.g. all the times I have done embarrassing or stupid things. Psychologists call the last kind of autobiographical memory 'categorical' and there is evidence that too much of this kind of autobiographical memory - 'overgeneral memory' - can be linked to depression. There is also evidence that childhood sexual abuse can lead to people being more likely to experience overgeneral memory. Researchers from the universities of Manchester and Oxford studied this issue in a sample of 103 women aged between 25 and 37. The researchers found that overgeneral memory was associated with childhood sexual abuse even in women who weren't depressed. However, the women who were depressed and who had suffered childhood sexual abuse were more likely to have more overgeneral memories.

Aglan, Azza ... [et al] - Overgeneral autobiographical memory in women: association with childhood abuse and history of depression in a community sample British Journal of Clinical Psychology September 2010, 49(3), 359-372

Intensive intervention cuts child abuse

Intensive interventions can dramatically reduce levels of child abuse in at-risk families. Researchers from Southern Methodist University in Dallas studied 35 families on the at-risk register. Half of them received intensive support in which they were taught how to pay attention and play with their children, how to listen and comfort them, how to offer praise and positive attention, how to give appropriate instructions and commands and how to respond to misbehaviour. They were also given access to materials and resources such as food banks and Medicaid. The other families received normal levels of support from social services. Only 5.9% of the families who received the intensive intervention were later referred to social services for child abuse compared to 28% of the other families.

You can find out more about this research by clicking on the link in the title of this post.

What makes a teenage sex offender?

Some researchers think that adolescent sex offenders commit crimes because they lack the social skills to form more conventional relationships and therapies for them often concentrate on providing such skills. However, a review of the research by Michael Seto of the Royal Ottawa Health Care Group and Martin Lalumiere of the University of Lethbridge in Alberta has questioned this view. The researchers looked at 59 independent studies comparing a total of 3,855 male adolescent sex offenders with 13,393 non-offending children. The study found that there was no difference in social competence or social skills between the two groups. The researchers also found that there was no evidence to support connections between family problems, parent-child relationships and attitudes and beliefs about women, and sex offending. Instead having atypical sexual interests such as desiring young children, wanting to rape people or to expose oneself to them were more closely linked with sex offending as were being sexually abused themselves, being exposed to sexual violence in their families and experiencing early exposure to sex or pornography.

You can find out more about this research by clicking on the link in the title of this post.

Child abuse and suicide

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide but what causes it is still not well understood. Mental-health problems are an important risk factor but most people with a mental-health problem do not think about killing themselves. There is strong evidence that people's experiences contribute more towards their mental-health problems than their genes and that bad experiences in people's childhood are linked to more thoughts about, or attempts at, killing oneself in later life. However, there has been less research into this than into genetic factors or mental-health problems. A team of researchers led by Ronny Bruffaerts from Gasthuisberg University Hospital in Belgium studied an international sample of 55,299 people asking them about their experiences in childhood and whether they had thought about, or tried to kill themselves. They found that bad experiences in childhood were associated with an increased risk of suicide attempts and thoughts of suicide. Sexual and physical abuse, especially during adolescence, were consistently the strongest risk factors.

Bruffaerts, Ronny ... [et al] - Childhood adversities as risk factors for onset and persistence of suicidal behaviour. British Journal of Psychiatry, July 2010, 197(1), 20-27

Child sexual abuse and pregnancy

Women who were sexually abused during their childhood may be more at risk of mental and physical health problems during their pregnancy. Researchers from the University of Haifa and Soroka Hospital in Israel studied 1,830 pregnant women comparing those who had been victims of childhood sexual abuse, those who had been victims of other childhood traumas and those who had experienced no trauma. Those women who had been sexually abused in childhood suffered higher levels of depression and more post-traumatic stress symptoms. The more severe the child sexual abuse the stronger the link between post-traumatic stress symptoms and poor physical health during pregnancy.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/04/100406073255.htm?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+sciencedaily+%28ScienceDaily%3A+Latest+Science+News%29&utm_content=Google+Reader

Mindfulness and child-abuse victims

It is estimated that over a quarter of adult women in the U.S. were victims of childhood sexual abuse. Depression and post-traumatic stress disorder are common in these survivors and a number of different kinds of therapies are used to treat them. Researchers from the University of Maryland School of Medicine looked into the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) in treating these women. Mindfulness has been described as 'moment-to-moment, non-judgmental attention and awareness actively cultivated and developed through meditation.' As well as meditation MBSR also includes course material that dwells on the impermanent and changeable nature of thoughts and judgments in a way influenced by CBT (cognitive behaviour therapy). The researchers studied 27 adult abuse survivors who took an eight-week MBSR programme with daily home practice. The participants also had three refresher courses over a follow-up period of 24 weeks. The study found that after eight weeks depressive symptoms had reduced by 65%. There were statistically-significant improvements in all the measures used by the study, improvements which were sustained over 24 weeks. Symptoms of avoidance and numbing were greatly reduced among people who had PTSD. The intervention was safe and acceptable to the participants and compliance to home practice and class attendance was good.

Kimbrough, Elizabeth ... [et al] - Mindfulness intervention for child abuse survivors Journal of Clinical Psychology January 2010, 66(1), 17-33

Depression and child abuse

A new study of 5,500 families by researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health has found a link between mothers' depression and their acts of aggression towards their children. The study used data from a national survey of 5,500 families who had been involved in child-abuse investigations. The mothers completed a standard questionnaire for depression at the start of the study and again after 18 months, and after three years. The mothers were also asked about instances of abuse over the past year including physical abuse, neglect and psychological aggression. The study found that when a mother developed depression the odds of her children suffering "psychologically-aggressive acts," including threats and name calling increased. Mothers who reported an increase in abuse from their partner were more likely to report physical abuse and neglect of their children while mothers whose partners were not abusive reported a decrease in psychologically-aggressive behaviour towards their children.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE59455Z20091005?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Child abuse, teenage mums and mental-health problems

Around 270,000 girls under the age of 18 become pregnant each year in the U.S. Such girls are more likely to have experienced abuse from their parents and to suffer victimization (including domestic violence and sexual assault) later. Adolescent mothers are also more at risk of problems such as depression, anxiety, alcohol problems and drug abuse. However, little is known about the pathways between victimization in childhood, victimization later and other problems. Researchers from the University of Washington studied 229 teenage mothers to try and find out more about this. They found that parental child abuse had a negative effect on the teenage mums both in itself and by causing psychological distress and victimization, which in turn led to the girls suffering psychological distress at the end of the two-and-a-half year study. The psychological distress caused by the girls being abused as children was the most important factor leading to psychological distress and victimization at the end of the study rather than substance abuse problems developed in response to being abused by parents.

Lindhorst, Taryn ... [et al] - Mediating pathways explaining psychosocial functioning and revictimization as sequelae of parental violence among adolescent mothers American Journal of Orthopsychiatry 2009, 79(2), 181-190

Childhood adversity and depression

Adversity in childhood plays an important role in the development and course of depression and a number of studies have shown links between depression and people's memories of parental indifference, overcontrol and physical and sexual abuse. A team of American researchers led by Daniel N. Klein from Stony Brook University in New York looked into the links between childhood adversity, people's depression symptoms and how well they responded to treatment in a sample of 808 people with chronic major depression. They found that childhood adversity was associated with a longer-lasting illness, an earlier onset of depression, more incidents of depression, more severe symptoms, functional impairment, suicidal thoughts, anxiety, dysfunctional attitudes and a tendency to be self-critical. A history of maternal overcontrol, paternal abuse, paternal indifference and sexual abuse each predicted a lower probability of remission. In a 12-week trial of antidepressant treatment 44% of people without a history of childhood abuse got better compared to 32% of people with a history of childhood adversity.

Klein, Daniel N. ... [et al] - Early adversity in chronic depression: clinical correlates and response to pharmacotherapy Depression and Anxiety August 2009, 26(8), 701-710

In another study on the same theme researchers from the universities of Otago and Canterbury in New Zealand studied 195 people taking part in a clinical trial of the antidepressants fluoxetine and nortriptyline. They found that participants who reported low paternal care were less likely to finish the six-week trial of the drugs. Participants who said that they had had overprotective mothers had a worse response to treatment after six weeks and were less likely to show two-months of sustained recovery after the end of the trial. However, sexual, physical or psychological abuse did not seem to affect people's response to the treatment.

Johnstone, Jeannette M. ... [et al] - Childhood neglect and abuse as predictors of antidepressant response in adult depression Depression and Anxiety August 2009, 26(8), 711-717

Abused women more likely to spank their own children

Mothers who suffered physical abuse or other violent experiences in childhood are much more likely to spank their own children than mothers who did not suffer these experiences. Researchers from Jefferson Pediatrics and the duPont Children's Health Program in Philadelphia studied 1,265 mostly black, single, low-income mothers of children up to 11 months old. They found that 19% said they valued corporal punishment as a means of discipline and 14% reported spanking their children. Even among mothers who were not physically abused in childhood 1 in 10 reported spanking their children. Spanking can lead to an increased risk of behaviour problems, low self-esteem, depression and drug abuse.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE56J5GD20090720?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Drug-using mothers and at-risk children

Experts have known for a long time that children of mothers who abuse drugs are more likely to come to harm than other children. But there have been few good-quality studies into this and the extent of the risk is unclear. Researchers from the Royal Children's Hospital in Brisbane studied 357 children. 119 of them had mothers who used opiates, amphetamines or methadone while the remainder did not use illegal drugs. Half of the children born to drug-using mothers became victims of neglect or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse and those whose mothers abused amphetamines or pilates were 13 times more likely to becomed victims of neglect or abuse. However, the children of the mothers who were compliant with their methadone treatment had only a third of the risk of those who mothers used opiates or amphetmaines. One quarter of the children of drug-abusing mothers entered foster care compared to only 2% of the children of the non-drugs users

http://uk.reuters.com/article/idUKTRE5686YI20090709?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews&sp=true

Child abuse and depression

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic in the U.S. looked into the impact of child abuse on people's struggles against depression. The study found that depressed people who had been abused as children were more likely to kill themselves, take drugs or have a personality disorder. They also became mentally ill at a younger age and were more likely to have to go into hospital to be treated.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/05/090521112831.htm

Child abuse, suicide and genes

Our genes are not our destiny and what happens to us can affect them just as much as they affect us. A study of the brains of 36 people who died suddenly compared 12 suicide victims who had suffered from abuse (either physical, sexual or by neglect), 12 suicide victims who had not suffered abuse and 12 people who had died accidentally. Child abuse alters the body's response to stress and increases the risk of suicide and the researchers (from McGill University in Canada) looked for changes in genes involved in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal function. They found genetic changes in a gene called the neuron-specific-glucocorticoid receptor in the abuse victims but not in the other suicide victims, or the accident victims, confirming findings from previous studies on rats.

You can find out more about this research at

http://uk.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUKTRE51M6HZ20090223?feedType=RSS&feedName=healthNews

Childhood trauma and chronic fatigue syndrome

A U.S. study of 237 people by researchers from Emory University in Georgia has found that childhood trauma, particularly emotional maltreatment and sexual abuse is associated with a sixfold increase in the risk of chronic fatigue syndrome. The study compared people with and without chronic fatigue who completed a questionnaire on five different types of childhood trauma including emotional, physical and sexual abuse and emotional and physical neglect. The researchers also collected saliva samples from the participants to measure the levels of the stress hormone cortisol and found that low levels of the hormone - often a symptom of chronic fatigue syndrome - were associated with childhood trauma. Of the people suffering from chronic fatigue syndrome only those who had suffered childhood trauma had low levels of cortisol.

You can read more about this research at

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/01/090105175025.htm