Childhood Abuse, Adult Interpersonal Abuse, and Depression in Individuals with Extreme Obesity

• NCJ Number: 246789
• Journal: Child Abuse and Neglect Volume: 38 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2014 Pages: 425-433
• Author(s): Jessica K. Salwen; Genna F. Hymowitz; Dina Vivian; K. Daniel O’Leary
• Date Published: March 2014
• Length: 9 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical); Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study examined a mediational model of childhood abuse, adult interpersonal abuse, and depressive symptoms, as well as the impact of weight-related teasing on rates and correlates of childhood abuse.

Abstract

The findings support the main hypothesis, i.e., that interpersonal abuse as adults mediates the relationship between childhood abuse and adult depressive symptoms. Initially, there was a positive relationship between a history of childhood abuse and current depressive symptoms; however, with adult interpersonal abuse introduced as a mediator, the strength of this relationship decreased significantly. These results suggest that the relationship between history of child abuse and current depressive symptoms may be partially explained by childhood abuse that leads to the increased likelihood of experiencing adult interpersonal abuse. Regarding the exploratory analyses, the study did not find a significant difference in rates of childhood abuse between those who were and were not teased as children/adolescents for being overweight; however, weight-related teasing was a significant moderator in the relationship between childhood abuse and adult interpersonal abuse; the relationship between childhood and adult interpersonal abuse was stronger for those who were not subjected to weight-related teasing than for those for those who were. Future research should assess the effectiveness of targeting interpersonal support and relationships while decreasing the impact of adverse events in interventions for obesity. Study participants were 187 patients (men, 33.2 percent and women, 66.8 percent) from 2 hospitals in Long Island, NY, who received a psychological evaluation for clearance for bariatric surgery to address their obesity. Participants were administered numerous self-report measures and a 75-minute semi-structured clinical interview that assessed various content areas relevant to obesity, historical risk factors, correlates, co-morbidities, and psychological preparedness for surgery. 1 table, 2 figures, and 52 references