Traumatic events and physical health in a community sample.
The relationship of traumatic events to physical health was examined in a randomized community survey (N = 2,364) of Los Angeles residents, 16% of whom had experienced a lifetime traumatic event. This study tested hypotheses that individuals experiencing traumatic events have poorer physical health and that the negative impact of traumatic events on physical health is greater among disadvantaged sociodemographic groups. Regression analyses showed that respondents with a traumatic event history indicated poorer perceptions of their physical health, more chronic limitations in physical functioning, and more chronic medical conditions compared with respondents without such a history, while controlling for demographics, psychiatric history, and other stressful life events. The association of traumatic events with poorer physical health among vulnerable sociodemographic groups was partially supported.
Department of Criminal Justice, University of Illinois at Chicago 60607-7140, USA.
S E
SE
Ullman
J M
JM
Siegel
D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002908:Chronic Disease; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016015:Logistic Models; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology*