Relationships Among Childhood Maltreatment, PTSD, and Health in Female Veterans in Primary Care

• NCJ Number: 216916
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 30 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2006 Pages: 1281-1292
• Author(s): Ariel J. Lang; Charlene Laffaye; Leslie E. Satz; John R. McQuaid; Vanessa L. Malcarne; Timothy R. Dresselhaus; Murray B. Stein
• Date Published: November 2006
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined whether current symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) influenced the link between childhood maltreatment and indicators of physical health and the use of medical services for a sample of female military veterans.

Abstract

The study found that childhood emotional abuse was the variable most consistently and significantly related to health outcomes for the women, including role impairment related to physical health, bodily pain, and the use of pain medications. This finding is consistent with other recent research that found childhood emotional abuse to be more significant than childhood physical and sexual abuse in predicting distress about bodily symptoms and total number of medical visits in the past year. Findings of the current study also supported the hypothesis that PTSD symptoms mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and physical problems. Contrary to expectation, increased emotional neglect was associated with better role-physical functioning, a finding that differed from that of a considerable body of research literature. The use of proven treatment methods for countering PTSD should reduce adverse health symptoms related to childhood maltreatment, particularly if symptoms are identified early. Study participants were 221 female veterans who received medical care from the San Diego Veterans Administration Healthcare System during a 12-month period. The women provided self-report information on child maltreatment, PTSD symptoms, the use of pain medication, physical symptoms, and physical functioning. Additional information on the use of medical services was obtained from the women's medical charts. Regression-based models were used to determine whether PTSD symptoms mediated the relationships between childhood maltreatment and physical symptoms and between childhood maltreatment and the use of medical services. 3 tables and 53 references