Associations of Child Sexual and Physical Abuse with Obesity and Depression in Middle-Aged Women

• NCJ Number: 224886
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 32 Issue: 9 Dated: September 2008 Pages: 878-887
• Author(s): Paul Rohde; Laura Ichikawa; Gregory E. Simon; Evette J. Ludman; Jennifer A. Linde; Robert W. Jeffery; Belinda H. Operskalski
• Date Published: September 2008
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH068127
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health; US Dept of Health and Human Service
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined childhood maltreatment and its association with subsequent obesity and depression in middle-age, binge eating, or body dissatisfaction.

Abstract

Results found that both child sexual and physical abuse were significantly associated with higher rates of both obesity and depression. Adult women who reported a history of either child sexual or physical abuse had approximately twice the likelihood of both current obesity and depression in middle age. Whereas previous research reported a stronger association for child physical abuse, compared to sexual abuse, for depression in adults, and a stronger association for child sexual abuse relative to physical abuse for obesity in adult women, the magnitude of association for the two forms of childhood maltreatment and for the two outcomes in the present study did not substantially differ and all were statistically significant. Controlling for age and race/ethnicity had a minimal impact on the magnitude of associations and did not differentially impact one association more than the others. Data were collected through a telephone survey administered to 4,641 women (mean age of 52 years) enrolled in a large health plan in the Pacific Northwest which assessed child sexual and physical abuse, obesity, depressive symptoms, binge eating, and body dissatisfaction. Tables, references