Child maltreatment has been linked to negative adult health outcomes; however, much
past research includes only clinical samples of women, focuses exclusively on sexual
abuse and/or fails to control for family background and childhood characteristics,
both potential confounders. Further research is needed to obtain accurate, generalizable
estimates and to educate clinicians who are generally unaware of the link between
childhood abuse and adult health. The purpose of this project is to examine how childhood
physical abuse by parents impacts mid-life mental and physical health, and to explore
the attenuating effect of family background and childhood adversities.
We analyzed population-based survey data from over 2,000 middle-aged men and women
in the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study using self-reported measures of parental childhood
physical abuse, mental health (depression, anxiety, anger), physical health (physical
symptoms and medical diagnoses), family background, and childhood adversities.
Parental physical abuse was reported by 11.4% of respondents (10.6% of males and 12.1%
of females). In multivariate models controlling for age, sex, childhood adversities,
and family background, we found that childhood physical abuse predicted a graded increase
in depression, anxiety, anger, physical symptoms, and medical diagnoses. Childhood
physical abuse also predicted severe ill health and an array of specific medical diagnoses
and physical symptoms. Family background and childhood adversities attenuated but
did not eliminate the childhood abuse/adult health relationship.
In a population-based cohort of middle-aged men and women, childhood physical abuse
predicted worse mental and physical health decades after the abuse. These effects
were attenuated, but not eliminated, by age, sex, family background, and childhood
adversities.