Long-term effects of childhood abuse on the quality of life and health of older people : results from the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice Project

To determine whether childhood physical and sexual abuse are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in older age cross-sectional, postal questionnaire surveys were conducted at medical clinics of 383 general practitioners (GPs) in Australia. More than 21,000 older adults (aged ≥60) currently under the care of GPs participated in the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice (DEPS-GP) Study. Participants were divided into two groups according to whether they acknowledged experiencing childhood physical or sexual abuse. Main outcome measures targeted participants' current physical health (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Survey, Version 2 and Common Medical Morbidities Inventory) and mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale). 1,458 (6.7%) and 1,429 participants (6.5%) reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, respectively. Multivariate models of the associations with childhood abuse indicated that participants who had experienced either childhood sexual or physical abuse had a greater risk of poor physical (odds ratio (OR)=1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21–1.50) and mental (OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.63–2.19) health, after adjustments. Older adults who reported both childhood sexual and physical abuse also had a higher risk of poor physical (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.33–1.92) and mental (OR=2.40, 95% CI=1.97–2.94) health. The effects of childhood abuse appear to last a lifetime. Further research is required to improve understanding of the pathways that lead to such deleterious outcomes and ways to minimize its late-life effects.