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Home > Child Abuse & Neglect > Impact > Long-Term Consequences of Abuse and Neglect > Health and Mental Health
Health and Mental Health
Child abuse and neglect may affect an individual's health and mental health in a number of direct and indirect ways. Negative effects on physical development can result from physical trauma (e.g., blows to the head or body or violent shaking) and from neglect (e.g., inadequate nutrition, lack of adequate motor stimulation, or withholding medical treatments). Maltreatment during infancy and early childhood has been shown to negatively affect early brain development and can have repercussions into adolescence and adulthood. The immediate emotional effects of abuse and neglect-isolation, fear, and an inability to trust-can translate into lifelong consequences including low self-esteem, depression, and relationship difficulties.
Research suggests that adults who were maltreated as children show higher rates of many health problems not typically associated with abuse and neglect, such as heart disease, cancer, chronic lung disease, and liver disease. The link between maltreatment and these diseases may be depression, which can influence the immune system and may lead to high-risk behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, overeating, and sexual risk-taking.
Age of Onset of Child Maltreatment Predicts Long-Term Mental Health Outcomes
Kaplow & Widom
Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 116(1), 2007
View Abstract
Results indicated that earlier onset of maltreatment predicted anxiety and depression in adulthood, while later onset of maltreatment predicted behavioral problems in adulthood. Implications for assessment of maltreated children and prevention are discussed.
Brief Communication: Physical Abuse of Boys and Possible Associations With Poor Adult Outcomes
Holmes & Sammel
Annals of Internal Medicine, 143(8), 2005
Examined how many men from a population-based urban sample were physically abused as boys, what proportion of perpetrators were parents, and the association between childhood physical abuse and adult outcomes that are often associated with perpetration of violence. (PDF - 707 KB)
Child Abuse and Neglect: A Mental Health Perspective
Caffo, Lievers, & Forresi (2006)
In Working With Children and Adolescents: An Evidence-Based Approach to Risk and Resilience
View Abstract
Discusses the intrinsic and extrinsic risk factors for abuse, the neurobiological and developmental consequences of abuse, factors that influence resiliency, and prevention and intervention strategies.
Childhood Abuse and Neglect and Adult Intimate Relationships: A Prospective Study
Colman & Widom
Child Abuse and Neglect: The International Journal, 28(11), 2004
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Examines the impact of early childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect on rates of involvement in adult intimate relationships and relationship functioning.
Childhood Emotional Abuse and Neglect as Predictors of Psychological and Physical Symptoms in Women Presenting to a Primary Care Practice
Spertus, Yehuda, Wong, Halligan, & Seremetis
Child Abuse and Neglect, 27(11), 2003
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This study found that a history of emotional abuse and neglect was associated with increased anxiety, depression, posttraumatic stress, and physical symptoms, as well as lifetime trauma exposure.
Childhood Physical Abuse, Personality, and Adult Relationship Violence: A Model of Vulnerability to Victimization
Ornduff, Kelsey, & O'Leary
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 71(3), 2001
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An association between childhood physical abuse and current relationship violence was observed in a sample of 56 young adult women, suggesting that childhood physical abuse may be a unique risk factor for victimization in intimate adult relationships.
Childhood Sexual Abuse, Parenting and Postpartum Depression: A 3-Year Follow-Up Study
Buist & Janson
Child Abuse and Neglect, 25(1), 2001
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A history of sexual abuse in women who become depressed postpartum may have long- term implications for a woman's mental health, her relationship with her child, and the child's emotional development. It is critical to offer women in this high-risk group supports in an attempt to minimize these difficulties and any long-term adverse effects.
Early Sexual Abuse and Lifetime Psychopathology: A Co-Twin-Control Study
Dinwiddie, Heath, Dunne, & Bucholz
Psychological Medicine, 30(1), 2000
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Investigates lifetime prevalence of psychiatric disorders among twins who reported childhood sexual abuse.
From Child Sexual Abuse to Adult Sexual Risk: Trauma, Revictimization, and Intervention
Koenig, Doll, O'Leary, & Willo (2004)
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Summarizes research findings about the relationship between child sexual abuse and sexual risk in adulthood.
The Hidden Effects of Childhood Maltreatment on Adult Health
Dallam (2001)
In The Cost of Child Maltreatment: Who Pays? We All Do
View Abstract
Research demonstrates that people who have been abused are more likely to have serious illnesses and engage in high-risk behaviors, such as cigarette smoking, substance abuse, sexual risks, self-harm, and suicide.
Long-Term Medical Consequences of Physical Abuse
Wharton, Rosenberg, Sheridan, & Ryan (2000)
In Treatment of Child Abuse: Common Ground for Mental Health, Medical, and Legal Practitioners
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Examines three categories of injuries that are most likely to cause lingering medical problems for the physically abused child: traumatic brain injuries, burns, and abdominal injuries.
Physical Punishment, Childhood Abuse and Psychiatric Disorders
Afifi, Brownridge, Cox, & Sareen
Child Abuse & Neglect: The International Journal, 30(10), 2006
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Compares the childhood experience of physical punishment or physical abuse and whether it was associated with adult psychopathology, after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and parent-child attachment type.
The Relationship of Adverse Childhood Experiences to Adult Health: Turning Gold Into Lead (PDF - 203 KB)
Felitti (2002)
The Adverse Childhood Experiences Study examines the long-term effects of child maltreatment on more than 17,000 patients of the Kaiser Permanente Department of Preventive Medicine in San Diego, California. Preliminary findings reveal links between the number of adverse experience types and health problems.
The Role of Depression and Dissociation in the Link Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Later Parental Practices
Collin-Vezina, Cyr, Pauze, & McDuff
Journal of Trauma and Dissociation, 6(1), 2005
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This study was undertaken to identify links between childhood sexual abuse and maternal parenting, while taking into account mothers' childhood physical and emotional traumas and current depressive and dissociative symptoms.
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