A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Childhood Abuse on Medical Outcomes in Adulthood

@article{Wegman2009AMR,
  title={A Meta-Analytic Review of the Effects of Childhood Abuse on Medical Outcomes in Adulthood},
  author={Holly Wegman and Cinnamon A. Stetler},
  journal={Psychosomatic Medicine},
  year={2009},
  volume={71},
  pages={805-812}
}
Objective: To summarize the relationship between abuse during childhood and physical health outcomes in adulthood and to examine the role of potential moderators, such as the type of health outcome assessed, gender, age, and the type of abuse. Studies using self-report assessment methods were compared with studies using objective or independently verifiable methods. Method: The current study is a quantitative meta-analysis comparing results from 78 effect sizes across 24 studies including 48… 
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510 Citations
Highly Influential Citations
21
Background Citations
173
Methods Citations
10
Results Citations
22

510 Citations

Childhood Abuse and Current Health Problems among Older Adults: The Mediating Role of Self-Efficacy.
TLDR
There are far reaching effects of child abuse on older adults' health and self-concept, and health care providers and gerontologists need to be aware that child abuse is a life-long risk factor for increased disability and specific health problems, especially among the elderly.
Association of Reports of Childhood Abuse and All-Cause Mortality Rates in Women.
TLDR
It is suggested that in addition to the established psychiatric consequences of abuse, women who report childhood abuse also remain vulnerable to premature mortality into adulthood and reported childhood abuse may have long-term ramifications for health and longevity in women.
Child abuse and physical health in adulthood.
TLDR
Abuse in childhood was associated with increased odds of having 9 of the 13 physical conditions assessed in this study and reduced self-perceived general health in adulthood, and sex was a significant moderator between child abuse and back problems, chronic bronchitis/emphysema/COPD, cancer, and chronic fatigue syndrome.
An epidemiologic study of childhood sexual abuse and adult sleep disturbances.
TLDR
CSA predicts adult insomnia symptoms decades after abuse, but the small sample size for incident characteristics resulted in limited conclusions about associated risk.
Associations Between Psychosocial Functioning and Physical Health in Youth with Maltreatment Experiences.
Cumulative Childhood Adversity and Adult Cardiometabolic Disease: A Meta-Analysis
TLDR
The literature suggests that cumulative childhood adversity is modestly related to adult cardiometabolic disease, with effects somewhat stronger for CVD clinical outcomes.
Adverse childhood experience and adult persistent pain and disability: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis
TLDR
The present review will help consolidate knowledge on persistent pain and disability by evaluating whether frequency and type of adverse childhood experiences produces the most harm.
Psychiatric and Physical Health Outcomes Associated with Interpersonal Violence: A Propensity Score Matching Approach
This study examined the association between interpersonal violence and a range of psychiatric and physical health outcomes and assessed whether these associations changed when controlling for a…
Childhood Maltreatment and Health Impact: The Examples of Cardiovascular Disease and Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
TLDR
Studies examining associations of child maltreatment, assessed either alone or in combination with other adversities, with cardiovascular disease and Type 2 Diabetes, found consistent positive associations across a range of childhood adversities.
Examination of the Role of Obesity in the Association Between Childhood Trauma and Inflammation During Pregnancy
  • A. MitchellK. PorterL. Christian
  • Medicine, Psychology
    Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association
  • 2018
TLDR
Exposure to childhood trauma, particularly emotional abuse, physical abuse, and emotional neglect, is associated with inflammation in pregnant women, and interventions targeting maternal obesity prior to pregnancy may help mitigate the effects of childhood trauma on perinatal health.
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References

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