Intergenerational Impact of Violence Exposure: Emotional-Behavioural and School Difficulties in Children Aged 5–17

Background and Objectives: The intergenerational impacts of parental exposure to violence during childhood and adulthood have largely been investigated separately. This limits our understanding of how cumulative violence exposure over a lifespan elevates the risk of subsequent generation's maladjustment. To address this, we examined if parental exposure to violence during childhood and during adulthood was associated with increased emotional-behavioural and school difficulties among the children of these parents. Further, we examined if parental exposure to cumulative violence increased the odds of their children experiencing difficulties.Participants and Setting: 705 participants (354 mothers and 351 fathers) from the 2019 New Zealand Family Violence Survey, a population-based study conducted in New Zealand between March 2017 and March 2019.Methods: Multivariable logistic regressions were conducted to ascertain the impact of parental exposure to violence on children's outcomes after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics. The impact of parental cumulative violence exposure on children's outcomes was also explored.Results: Findings indicated that children of parents who had histories of exposure to violence during childhood were at increased risk for experiencing emotional-behavioural or school difficulties. However, where parents reported a history of childhood abuse but not adult experience of violence, their children had similar odds of experiencing difficulties as the children of parents who had not been exposed to any violence in their lifetime. Children of parents who had been exposed to violence only during adulthood were at higher risk of experiencing emotional-behavioural difficulties compared with children of parents with no violence exposure. Children of parents with histories of exposure to violence during both childhood and adulthood had the highest prevalence of experiencing emotional/behavioural and school difficulties.Conclusion: These findings highlight the intergenerational impacts of violence exposure and the complex intersections between parents' and children's life experiences. Our findings suggest the need for violence prevention initiatives to foster the development of safe, stable and nurturing relationships and to expand services for parents already exposed to violence to build resilience and to break the inter-generational cycle of disadvantage.

Marital Quality as a Mechanism Linking Childhood Abuse to Mental Health

Childhood abuse has been widely associated with mental health problems in adulthood and marital quality may be one possible mediator. We examine marital quality as a mediator linking childhood abuse to positive affect, negative affect, emotionally reactivity, and aggression. Using data from Midlife Development in the United States (MIDUS), results of structural equation modeling indicate that the indirect effects from childhood abuse to each of the mental health outcomes were significant. Marital quality may be a source of resilience among adults who were abused in childhood and could be a point of intervention for clinicians.

Women with abuse-related PTSD sleep more fitfully but just as long as healthy controls: an actigraphic study

Study Objectives Subjective reports of sleep impairments are common in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but objective assessments of sleep have yielded mixed results. Methods We investigated sleep via actigraphy and e-diary on 6 consecutive nights in a group of 117 women with PTSD after childhood abuse (CA; PTSD group), a group of 31 mentally healthy women with a history of CA (healthy trauma controls, HTC group) and a group of 36 non-traumatized mentally healthy women (healthy controls, HC group). Results The PTSD group reported lower sleep quality, more nights with nightmares, and shorter sleep duration than both HTC and HC. Actigraphic measures showed more and longer sleep interruptions in the PTSD group compared to HTC and HC, but no difference in sleep duration. While the PTSD group underestimated their sleep duration, both HTC and HC overestimated their sleep duration. HTC did not differ from HC regarding sleep impairments. Conclusions Sleep in women with PTSD after CA seems to be more fragmented but not shorter compared to sleep patterns of mentally healthy control subjects. The results suggest a stronger effect of PTSD psychopathology on sleep compared to the effect of trauma per se.

Abuse in Childhood and Cardiometabolic Health in Early Adulthood: Evidence From the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children

Background Although childhood abuse has been consistently associated with cardiovascular disease in later adulthood, its associations with cardiometabolic health in younger adults are poorly understood. We assessed associations between childhood physical, sexual, and psychological abuse and cardiometabolic outcomes at 18 and 25 years. Methods and Results We used data on 3223 participants of the ALSPAC (Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children). Exposure to childhood abuse was self‐reported retrospectively at 22 years. We used linear regression to assess the associations between childhood abuse and cardiometabolic outcomes at 18 and 25 years. At 18 years, physical (β 1.35 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI, 0.66–2.05), sexual (β 0.57 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI 0.04–1.11), and psychological (β 0.47 kg/m 2 ; 95% CI 0.01–0.92) abuse were associated with higher body mass index. Physical abuse was also associated with lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (β −0.07 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.13 to −0.01) and higher C‐reactive protein (31%; 95% CI, 1%–69%), and sexual abuse was associated with higher heart rate (β 1.92 bpm; 95% CI 0.26–3.58). At age 25, all 3 types of abuse were additionally associated with higher insulin, and sexual abuse was associated with lower cholesterol (−0.14 mmol/L; 95% CI, −0.26 to −0.01). The age at which abuse occurred (<11or 11–17 years) had little influence on the associations, and when sex differences were evident, associations were stronger in men. Conclusions Childhood abuse is associated with negative cardiometabolic outcomes even by young adulthood. Further follow‐up will determine whether associations strengthen across the life course and whether sex differences persist, which is essential for targeting effective screening programs and early interventions in those who suffered abuse in childhood.

Prevalence of Child Sexual Violence in Brazil in the Period 2010-2018: an Ecological Study

Violence is characterized as a sociocultural phenomenon that can affect the individual physically, psychosocially and cognitively. Child sexual abuse is one of the biggest public health problems, however, its prevalence is still undefined. It is also the cause of several psychopathological disorders and future difficulties in the context of the victim's interpersonal and sexual relationships. To describe the prevalence of child sexual abuse in Brazil in the of period 2010 – 2018. Descriptive ecological study, whose data were obtained by consulting the SINAN database, made available by DATASUS. Where cases of child sexual violence between 0 and 14 years old were selected from 2010 to 2018. A steady progression was evidenced in all regions and in almost every year, in cases of sexual violence. The North and South regions have the highest prevalence. Cases were more frequent in females (82.7%), between 10 and 14 years old (49%), with the main aggressors being parents (13.8%) and stepfathers (12.9%). The prevalence of child sexual violence is higher among children aged 10 to 14 years, female and the cases are more concentrated in the north region. Keywords: Childhood Abuse, Sexual. Epidemiology. Child. Resumo A violência é caracterizada como um fenômeno sociocultural que pode afetar o indivíduo em âmbito físico, psicossocial e cognitivo. O abuso sexual infantil é um dos maiores problemas de saúde pública, porém, sua prevalência ainda é indefinida. Sendo também causador de diversos transtornos psicopatológicos e dificuldades futuras em âmbito de relações interpessoais e sexuais da vítima. Portanto o objetivo do presente estudo é descrever a prevalência do abuso sexual infantil no Brasil no período de 2010 - 2018. Trata-se de um estudo ecológico descritivo, cujos dados foram obtidos por meio de consulta à base de dados SINAN, disponibilizados pelo DATASUS. Onde foram selecionados os casos de violência sexual infantil, de 0 a 14 anos registrada no período de 2010 a 2018. Foi evidenciado uma progressão contínua em todas as regiões e em quase todos os anos, nos casos de violência sexual. As Regiões Norte e Sul apresentam maior prevalência. Os casos eram mais frequentes no sexo feminino (82,7%), entre 10 e 14 anos (49%), sendo os principais agressores pais (13,8%) e padrastos (12,9%). Pode-se concluir que a prevalência de violência sexual infantil é maior entre crianças de 10 a 14 anos, do sexo feminino e os casos estão mais concentrados na região Norte. Palavras-chave: Abuso Sexual na Infância. Epidemiologia. Criança.

Effectiveness of pharmacological and psychological interventions for treating post-traumatic stress disorder in adults with childhood abuse: protocol for a systematic review and network meta-analysis

IntroductionPost-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating mental disorder that develops after being exposed to a traumatic event. PTSD is common among adults who have experienced physical/sexual childhood abuse. Several psychological and pharmacological interventions are used for treating PTSD in this particular group, and it is important to identify what interventions, whether alone or in combination with other treatments, are more effective compared with others. Therefore, this review aims to provide synthesis of evidence on the effectiveness of different interventions used for treating PTSD following childhood abuse.Methods and analysisElectronic search will be conducted using different databases such as PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) used for assessing interventions for PTSD following childhood abuse. Data on treatment effectiveness for PTSD with childhood abuse and other variables will be extracted from each paper and reported as appropriate. Extracted effect-size estimates will be combined using Bayesian network meta-analysis (NMA). Risk of bias will be assessed through the Cochrane Collaboration tool for RCTs tool. NMA assumptions (heterogeneity, transitivity, inconsistency) will be assessed and reported. Meta-regression and subgroup analyses will be performed to explore and explain possible sources of heterogeneity.Ethics and disseminationThis research is based on literature review and does not require the approval of ethical board as it does not involve dealing with humans or animals. Findings of this review will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42020207409.