4 Troubled Teens Blog

Two new studies reveal the degree to which being abused as a child can inflict serious long-term damage.

The first study was conducted by Dr. Magdalena Romanowicz of the Mayo Clinic.

• Dr. Romanowicz found that a history of child abuse is linked to an increase in suicide attempts, depression, earlier onset of mental illnesses, more psychiatric hospitalizations, and higher rates of personality disorders.
• Presenting her findings at the American Psychiatric Association meeting, Dr. Romanowicz said that her study shows a need for "a more aggressive approach" to stopping child abuse.

The second study was by Professor Lauren Wise of Boston University.

• Prof. Wise studied records of 35,000 African-American women ages 21 to 69 years old from the Black Women Health Study.
• More than 43 percent of the women Prof. Wise studied had been physically abused, and 18 percent had been sexually abused.
• The women who had been abused as children were 26 percent more likely to menstruate early (before age 12 years old).
• Prof. Wise's study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.

Child abuse and neglect remain serious problems both in the United States and throughout the world. Parents who were abused as children may grow up to become abusers themselves, which can continue a destructive cycle of youth mental health and substance abuse disorders.

Labels: child_abuse, mental_illness

Posted By: Aspen/CRC