title: Long-term effects of childhood abuse on the quality of life and health of older people: results from the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice Project.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine whether childhood physical and sexual abuse are associated with poor mental and physical health outcomes in older age.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional, postal questionnaire survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Medical clinics of 383 general practitioners (GPs) in Australia.
  
  
  METHODS
  More than 21,000 older adults (aged > or = 60) currently under the care of GPs participating in the Depression and Early Prevention of Suicide in General Practice (DEPS-GP) Study. Participants were divided into two groups according to whether they acknowledged experiencing childhood physical or sexual abuse.
  
  
  METHODS
  Main outcome measures targeted participants' current physical health (Medical Outcomes Study 12-item Short Form Survey, Version 2 and Common Medical Morbidities Inventory) and mental health (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale).
  
  
  RESULTS
  One thousand four hundred fifty-eight (6.7%) and 1,429 participants (6.5%) reported childhood physical and sexual abuse, respectively. Multivariate models of the associations with childhood abuse indicated that participants who had experienced either childhood sexual or physical abuse had a greater risk of poor physical (odds ratio (OR)=1.35, 95% confidence interval (CI)=1.21-1.50) and mental (OR=1.89, 95% CI=1.63-2.19) health, after adjustments. Older adults who reported both childhood sexual and physical abuse also had a higher risk of poor physical (OR=1.60, 95% CI=1.33-1.92) and mental (OR=2.40, 95% CI=1.97-2.94) health.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The effects of childhood abuse appear to last a lifetime. Further research is required to improve understanding of the pathways that lead to such deleterious outcomes and ways to minimize its late-life effects.
authors.affiliation: School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Draper
authors.forename: Jon J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Pfaff
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pirkis
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Snowdon
authors.forename: Nicola T
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Lautenschlager
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: Osvaldo P
authors.initials: OP
authors.lastname: Almeida
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged / Q000523:psychology*; D001315:Australia; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D000092864:Suicide Prevention