Direct and indirect links between childhood maltreatment, posttraumatic stress disorder, and women's health.
The authors evaluated the relationships among childhood maltreatment, sexual trauma in adulthood, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and health functioning in women. Female Veterans' Affairs (VA) primary care patients (N = 200) completed self-report measures of childhood maltreatment, adult sexual trauma, PTSD symptoms, and current health functioning. The authors used structural equation modeling to test models of the relationship among these variables. Childhood nonsexual maltreatment and adult sexual assault were positively associated with PTSD. Childhood nonsexual maltreatment (beta = -.20) and PTSD (beta = -.75) were significantly associated with poorer physical and mental health functioning. Adult sexual assault negatively affected health functioning through its association with PTSD. Thus, poor health outcomes associated with childhood maltreatment in women may be conveyed through PTSD. These findings should strengthen efforts directed at identifying and treating PTSD in female victims of childhood maltreatment with the aim of preventing or attenuating poor health outcomes.
Lang
Ariel J
AJ
The University of California-San Diego (UCSD), SAn Diego, CA 92108, USA. Ariel.Lang@va.gov
Aarons
Gregory A
GA
Gearity
James
J
Laffaye
Charlene
C
Satz
Leslie
L
Dresselhaus
Timothy R
TR
Stein
Murray B
MB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000145:classification / Q000523:psychology*; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D016013:Likelihood Functions; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012742:Sex Offenses; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology*; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology; D016387:Women's Health