title: The association between childhood trauma and lipid levels in an adult low-income, minority population.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The objective of this study is to investigate the association between childhood trauma and lipid profiles in adults from a highly traumatized population at-risk for cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 452 participants, primarily African-American and of low socioeconomic status, from general medical clinics in a large urban hospital. We performed direct comparisons, univariate analysis of variance and regression analyses together and separated by sex, examining the associations of child abuse, body mass index, lipid lowering drug use, blood pressure, age, and substance use to HDL levels and HDL/LDL ratios.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A history of moderate to severe levels of childhood trauma and abuse was associated with a significant decrease in HDL levels (P ≤ .01) and HDL/LDL ratios (P ≤ .001) relative to males with low levels of abuse. This relationship held when the status of lipid-lowering drugs was considered. When controlling for age, substance abuse, tobacco use, and adult trauma, the effects of childhood trauma remained significant. We found a significant child abuse by sex interaction on HDL/LDL ratios [F(1,369)=13.0, P ≤ .0005] consistent with a differential effect of trauma on dyslipidemia in male but not female subjects.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our data suggest that childhood trauma exposure, obtained with self-report measures, may contribute to increased risk of cardiovascular disease by way of stress-mediated alterations of lipid concentration and composition in male, but not female, subjects.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Sarah J
authors: SJ
authors: Spann
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Charles F
authors: CF
authors: Gillespie
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Jennifer S
authors: JS
authors: Davis
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Angelo
authors: A
authors: Brown
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Ann
authors: A
authors: Schwartz
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Atlanta VA Medical Center, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Aliza
authors: A
authors: Wingo
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA.
authors: Leah
authors: L
authors: Habib
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, USA; Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, MD, USA; Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Atlanta, GA, USA. Electronic address: kressle@emory.edu.
authors: Kerry J
authors: KJ
authors: Ressler
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL / Q000097:blood*; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D011203:Poverty / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood*; D014481:United States; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D008075:Lipoproteins, HDL; D008077:Lipoproteins, LDL; D014280:Triglycerides
keywords: African-American; Cardiovascular; Genetic; Lipids; Trauma