Childhood Abuse May Increase Risk Of Poor Health Later: Study

New Delhi: Children who experience physical and sexual abuse are twice as likely to suffer from physical and mental health conditions, including angina, arthritis, asthma, COPD, heart attack, depression, and disability in adulthood, according to a study.

The study, published in the journal Child Maltreatment, found that children with sexual abuse were 55 per cent to 90 per cent more likely to experience these health outcomes compared to their peers who had not experienced any abuse.

Facing only physical abuse also had significantly elevated odds of these health outcomes from 20 per cent to 50 per cent.

The presence of a protective adult in the home was associated with better outcomes in the wake of physical and sexual abuse, providing promising insights for intervention efforts, said the researchers from the University of Toronto, in Canada.

“People don’t typically think about the impact early adversities can have on health outcomes later in life,” said Shannon Halls, a Research Coordinator at the varsity’s Institute for Life Course and Aging.

“Our research underscores the harmful associations between early adversities, such as sexual and/or physical abuse, and a wide range of health issues in adulthood,” Halls added.