TUESDAY, Jan. 31, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Experiencing childhood abuse and neglect can lead to multiple mental health issues, according to a review published online Jan. 11, 2023. There is a nature. American Journal of Psychiatry.
Dr. Jessie R. Baldwin of University College London and colleagues conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the relationship between childhood abuse and mental health problems.
Based on 34 quasi-experimental studies (54,646 independent participants), researchers found that childhood abuse was moderately associated with mental health problems (Cohen’s d = 0.56). In adjusted analyses, the association between childhood abuse and mental health problems was attenuated (Cohen’s d = 0.31). This coordinated association between childhood abuse and mental health is associated with psychiatric disorders (e.g., depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide attempts, alcohol and substance abuse, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, behavior problems, and psychosis).
“This study provides rigorous evidence to suggest that childhood abuse has little causal effect on mental health problems,” Baldwin said in a statement. Given that it predicts a range of adverse outcomes such as physical health problems, premature death, etc., these effects of abuse, albeit small, can be far-reaching.”
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