Analyzes focus on causation and consider other environmental and genetic factors such as family history and socioeconomic disadvantage.
Childhood abuse or neglect can have multiple causes mental health issuesAccording to a study published in American Journal of Psychiatry.
Researchers at University College London aim to examine the causal relationship between childhood abuse and mental health, taking into account other environmental and genetic factors, such as family history of mental illness and socioeconomic disadvantage. I was doing it.
“This study provides rigorous evidence to suggest that childhood abuse has a subtle causal link to mental health problems, which can lead to job loss, physical health problems, premature death, and more. , given that it predicts a range of adverse outcomes, albeit small, these effects of abuse can be far-reaching.” Dr Jesse Baldwin, Sir Henry Wellcome, College of London said in a statement.
“Therefore, interventions that prevent abuse are not only essential for child welfare, but can also prevent the long-term suffering and economic costs of mental illness,” she said.
This study included analysis of 34 quasi-experimental studies involving over 54,000 individuals. Quasi-experimental studies can help establish cause and effect of observational data using innovative statistical techniques used to exclude special samples or other factors.
Across 34 studies, investigators found small effects of child abuse on various mental health problems, including attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder. behavioral problems; and internalizing disorders such as anxiety, depression, self-harm, and attempted suicide. externalizing disorders, including alcohol and substance abuse; and psychosis.
Investigators reported that the effects were consistent regardless of the method used and how abuse and mental health were measured. The results suggested that preventing her eight cases of child abuse could prevent one individual from developing mental health problems.
In addition, researchers found that some of the overall risk of mental health problems for individuals exposed to abuse is a result of pre-existing vulnerabilities, including adverse environments such as socioeconomic disadvantage and genetic liability. I discovered that it was something
“Our findings also suggest that to minimize the risk of mental health problems for individuals exposed to abuse, [physicians] We need to address existing psychiatric risk factors as well as experiences of abuse,” Baldwin said.
Childhood abuse was defined as emotional, physical, or sexual abuse or neglect under the age of 18.
Study limitations include potential biases from each quasi-experimental study. However, the results were consistent across all studies using different methods, suggesting that our findings are conclusive.
Moreover, different types of abuse and neglect could occur simultaneously, so no firm conclusions could be drawn about the specific impact of types of abuse. Studies rarely accounted for that possibility.
Due to the lack of available data, we were unable to examine differences between ethnic and racial groups, the impact of timing of abuse, and the interval between abuse and mental health problems.
The researchers called for conducting future quasi-experimental studies that could help address some of these unanswered questions to benefit patients.
reference
Childhood abuse is associated with multiple mental health issues. EurekAlert. News Release. January 11, 2023. Accessed January 11, 2023. https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/976042
