NCJ Number
246971
Journal
Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 37 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2013 Pages: 969-978
Date Published
November 2013
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this study was to quantify the association between childhood traumatic experiences and geriatric depression GDS in a population of elderly who were exposed to severe childhood trauma.
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to quantify the association between childhood traumatic experiences and geriatric depression GDS in a population of elderly who were exposed to severe childhood trauma. We aimed to identify the role of childhood maltreatment exposure in geriatric depression and the developmental and contextual factors that exacerbate this relationship. We interviewed 141 former indentured child laborers 58 females about their experiences as children and their current depressive symptoms Mage = 77, SD = 6.8. Participants provided their age, the year they were first indentured, duration indentured, current physical health, completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire CTQ and the Geriatric Depression Scale GDS. Child maltreatment, specifically emotional abuse, was strongly associated with geriatric depression symptoms. These effects were specific to individuals who were removed from their biological families between the ages of 3 and 9 years, and for children who were indentured for 6-12 years. Finally, depression partially mediated the association between medical conditions and daily health impairment, but not for individuals at risk for depression by virtue of their maltreatment experiences. This study was conducted with a specific subpopulation of elderly and therefore may not generalize to all geriatric depression, nor to all generations or populations with exposure to childhood adversity. This study demonstrates the importance of using a developmental framework to understand how childhood maltreatment facilitates increased risk for the development of depression in late life.