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Are seemingly healthy adolescents who experienced child abuse at elevated risk for mood and substance disorders? To address this issue, investigators recruited 19 participants with maltreatment histories before age 10 years (defined as ≥6 months of physical or sexual abuse or of witnessing domestic violence) and 13 matched controls. At baseline, all participants (mean age, 16) were well functioning, living with biological parents, and without active files at child protective services. Baseline comprehensive assessments and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were followed by psychiatric evaluations at 6-month intervals for a mean of 3.4 years.
Compared with controls, children with maltreatment histories showed significantly lower baseline fractio…