title: Child abuse and other traumatic experiences, alcohol use disorders, and health problems in adolescence and young adulthood.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  We prospectively examined the health effects of child abuse and other traumatic events, with objective health indicators and consideration of alcohol use disorders (AUD).
  
  
  METHODS
  Adolescents (n = 668) were recruited from clinical and community sources. At baseline, we examined child abuse and other traumas, AUD, health-related symptoms, physical findings, and blood assays. Subjects were assigned to Trauma Classes (TC), including witnessing violence, physical abuse, and sexual abuse. Health outcomes were again determined at 1-year and young adult follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In adolescence, higher TC severity was associated with more health-related symptoms, increased age-adjusted body mass index, and stress-response immune system indices. In adolescence and young adulthood, the relationships between TC and health-related symptoms were mediated by anxiety. AUD was associated with liver injury, and cigarette smoking with heart/lung symptoms.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Child abuse predicted persistently elevated health-related symptoms primarily attributable to anxiety, and early signs of liver disease were attributable to AUD.
authors: , Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, 3811 O'Hara Street, Pittsburgh, PA 1521, USA. clarkdb@upmc.edu
authors: Duncan B
authors: DB
authors: Clark
authors: Dawn L
authors: DL
authors: Thatcher
authors: Christopher S
authors: CS
authors: Martin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008108:Liver Diseases, Alcoholic / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012907:Smoking / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult