Number of Childhood Abuse Perpetrators and the Occurrence of Depressive Episodes in Adulthood

• NCJ Number: 240661
• Journal: Child Abuse & Neglect Volume: 36 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2012 Pages: 323-332
• Author(s): Richard T. Liu; Shari Jager-Hyman; Clara A. Wagner; Lauren B. Alloy; Brandon E. Gibb
• Date Published: April 2012
• Length: 10 pages
• Grant Number(s): MH 48216; MH 79369
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Mental Health
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study explored the degree to which the number of perpetrators for each type of childhood abuse uniquely predicted the number of episodes of depression in adulthood.

Abstract

The main finding from the study was that the number of perpetrators of child emotional abuse (CEA), and child sexual abuse (CSA) were uniquely associated with the number of depressive episodes experienced later in adulthood for adult survivors of childhood abuse. The number of perpetrators of child physical abuse (CPA) was not a significant factor in determining the number of depressive episodes later in life. The primary purpose of the study was to determine the link between adverse childhood experiences, in particular CSA, CEA, and CPA, and the level of depressive episodes experienced later in life. Data for the study were obtained from a sample of university students (n=299) who participated in a 2.5 year longitudinal study that measured the number of depressive episodes experienced by participants, and explored the link between the number of depressive episodes and participants' experiences of CSA, CEA, and CPA. Analysis of the findings indicates that experiences of CEA and CSA from multiple perpetrators poses an increased risk for episodes of clinical depression later in life. Study limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Tables and references