Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-4rdpn Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-08T14:44:09.068Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

The impact of childhood sexual abuse on the mental and physical health, and healthcare utilization of older adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 October 2015

Yumiko Kamiya ,
Virpi Timonen  and
Rose Anne Kenny
Yumiko Kamiya*
Affiliation:
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, and Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Virpi Timonen
Affiliation:
School of Social Work and Social Policy, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
Rose Anne Kenny
Affiliation:
Department of Medical Gerontology, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin, St James's Hospital, Dublin, Ireland
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: Dr Yumiko Kamiya, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2 UN Plaza, DC2-1926, New York, NY 10010, USA. Phone: +1(917)-3675539; Fax: +1(212)-963-2638. Email: kamiya@un.org.
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background:

The aim of this study is to examine the long-term association between childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and mental and physical health, especially with conditions related to hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction such as mood disorders, cardiovascular disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, pain disorders, and measures of frailty and functional mobility. In addition, we examined the impact of CSA on self-reported health and healthcare utilization.

Methods:

Data from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing were employed (N = 8,178). The effects of CSA on mental health, physical health, and healthcare utilization in old age population were estimated by ordinal least square, logistic regression, and Poisson regression, controlling for demographic factors, childhood adversities, and behavioral health.

Results:

Six percent of respondents reported CSA with little variation by gender. A significant association was found between CSA and mental health. Those who reported CSA were more likely to have depression, anxiety, worry, loneliness, and low quality of life. Poor self-reported health, lung disease, arthritis, peptic ulcer, chronic pain as well as high levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein were associated with CSA. Further, those who reported CSA were more likely to report doctor and hospital visits than those without a history of CSA.

Conclusions:

Findings from the present study show that CSA has significant long-term mental and physical consequences, whereby early life events are linked to later life health outcomes.

Keywords

depressionlonelinessadverse eventsanxiety
Type
Research Article
Information
International Psychogeriatrics , Volume 28 , Issue 3 , March 2016 , pp. 415 - 422
Copyright
Copyright © International Psychogeriatric Association 2015 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Barrett, A., Kamiya, Y. and Sullivan, V. O. (2014). Childhood sexual abuse and later-life economic consequences. Journal of Behavioral and Experimental Economics, 53, 10–16.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Brewin, C., Andrews, B. and Gotlib, I. (1993). Psychopathology and early experience: a reappraisal of retrospective reports. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 82–98.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Buchsbaum, D. G., Buchanan, R. G., Centor, R. M., Schnoll, S. H. and Lawton, M. J. (1991). Screening for alcohol abuse using CAGE scores and likelihood ratios. Annals of Internal Medicine, 115, 774–777.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chartier, M. J., Walker, J. R. and Naimark, B. (2007). Childhood abuse, adult health, and health care utilization: results from a representative community sample. American Journal of Epidemiology, 165, 1031–1038.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Chen, L. P. et al. (2010). Sexual abuse and lifetime diagnosis of psychiatric disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clinic Proceedings, 85, 618–629.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cole, P. and Putnam, F. (1992). Effect of incest on self- and social-functioning: a developmental psychopathology perspective. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 60, 174–184.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Danese, A., Pariante, C. M., Caspi, A., Taylor, A. and Poulton, R. (2007). Childhood maltreatment predicts adult inflammation in a life-course study. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 104, 1319–1324.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Delaney, L., Fernihough, A. and Smith, J. P. (2013). Exporting poor health: the Irish in England. Demography, 50, 2013–2035.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Felitti, V. J. et al. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14, 245–258.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fergusson, D. M., Horwood, L. J. and Woodward, J. L. (2000). The stability of child abuse reports: a longitudinal study of the reporting behaviour of young adults. Psychological Medicine, 30, 529–544.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gilbert, R., Widom, C. S, Browne, K., Fergusson, D., Webb, E. and Janson, S. (2009). Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. The Lancet, 373, 68–81.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Goodwin, R. D. and Stein, M. B. (2004). Association between childhood trauma and physical disorders among adults in the United States. Psychological Medicine, 34, 509–520.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Green, J. G. et al. (2010). Childhood adversities and adult psychiatric disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication: associations with first onset of DSM-IV disorders. Archives of General Psychiatry, 67, 113–123.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Guilliams, T. G. and Edwards, L. (2010). Chronic stress and the HPA axis. The Standard, 2, 1–12.Google Scholar
Heim, C., Ehlert, U. and Hellhammer, D. H. (2000). The potential role of hypocortisolism in the pathophysiology of stress-related bodily disorders. Psychoneuroendocrinology, 25, 1–35.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Heinrich, C., Maffioli, A. and Vázquez, G. (2010). A primer for applying propensity-score matching: impact-evaluation guidelines. Technical Notes No. IDB-TN-161. Washington, DC: Inter-American Development Bank.Google Scholar
Henningsen, P., Zimmermann, T. and Sattel, H. (2003). Medically unexplained physical symptoms, anxiety, and depression: a meta-analytic review. Psychosomatic Medicine, 65, 528–533.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Irish, L., Kobayashi, I. and Delahanty, D. L. (2010). Long-term physical health consequences of childhood sexual abuse: a meta-analytic review. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 35, 450–461.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Johnson, C. F. (2004). Child sexual abuse. The Lancet, 364, 462–470.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kendall-Tackett, K. (2009). Psychological trauma and physical health: a psychoneuroimmunology approach to etiology of negative health effects and possible interventions. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 1, 35–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Leuven, E. and Sianesi, B. (2003). Psmatch2: stata module to perform full Mahalanobis and propensity score matching, common support graphing, and covariate imbalance testing. Available at: http://ideas.repec.org/c/boc/bocode/s432001.html; last accessed 21 April 2014.Google Scholar
Maughan, N., Pickles, A. and Quinton, D. (1985). Parental hostility, childhood behaviour and adult social functioning. In: McCord, J. (Ed.), Coercion and Punishment in Long-Term Perspectives (pp. 34–58). New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
McGee, H., Garavan, R., Byrne, J., O’Higgins, M. and Conroy, R. M. (2010). Secular trends in child and adult sexual violence – one decreasing and the other increasing: a population survey in Ireland. European Journal of Public Health, 21, 98–103.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Molnar, B. E., Buka, S. and Kessler, R. (2001). Child sexual abuse and subsequent psychopathology: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. American Journal of Epidemiology, 91, 753–760.Google ScholarPubMed
Najman, J. M., Nguyen, M. L. T. and Boyle, F. M. (2007). Sexual abuse in childhood and physical and mental health in adulthood: an Australian population study. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 36, 666–675.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Newman, M. et al. (2000). The relationship of childhood sexual abuse and depression with somatic symptoms and medical utilization. Psychological Medicine, 30, 1063–1077.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Penza, K., Heim, C. and Nemeroff, C. B. (2003). Neurobiological effects of childhood abuse: implications for the pathophysiology of depression and anxiety. Archives of Women's Mental Health, 6, 15–22.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Raison, C. and Miller, A. H. (2003). When not enough is too much: the role of insufficient glucocorticoid signaling in the pathophysiology of stress related disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 160, 1554–1565.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Rich-Edwards, J. W. et al. (2012). Child abuse and cardiovascular events in women. Circulation, 126, 920–927.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Romans, S., Belaise, C., Martin, J., Morris, E. and Raffi, A. (2002). Psychotherapy and psychosomatics childhood abuse and later medical disorders in women: an epidemiological study. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 71, 141–150.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Trickett, P., Noll, J., Susman, E. J., Shenk, C. E. and Putnam, F. W. (2010). Attenuation of cortisol across development for victimsof sexual abuse. Development and Psychopathology, 22, 165–175.CrossRefGoogle Scholar