Mental Health Sequelae of Childhood Physical Abuse

Large studies specifically relating childhood physical abuse to risks for subsequent psychiatric disorders have been limited. Now, investigators have used data on 43,093 adults from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions to assess such abuse in relation to adult psychiatric morbidity.

Eight percent of respondents reported having had experienced physical abuse at least fairly often before age 18. Of those incurring such abuse, 84% had lifetime histories of at least one psychiatric disorder. The association between frequency of abuse and risk for later psychopathology occurred in dose–response patterns. Compared with individuals without histories of childhood physical abuse, those who were hit hard enough to cause …