Child Maltreatment and Mortality Disparities

Child maltreatment is a debilitating problem and a global public health issue. According to the World Health Organization, 1 in 4 adults report having been physically maltreated and 1 in 5 women disclose having been sexually abused in childhood. The extent of the problem is even larger when considering neglect as well as psychological and emotional abuse, affecting more than half of the population in many parts of the world. The child who is exposed to maltreatment may experience immediate physical injuries (eg, brain injury, fractures, bruises, and burns) as well as increased risk for longer-term suicide attempts; psychosocial, behavioral, and mental health disorders (eg, depression, anxiety, and/or substance abuse); chronic health conditions (eg, obesity-related diseases); cancer, fibromyalgia, and ischemic heart disease; and risk for psychosexual and reproductive health problems (eg, teen pregnancy and/or sexually transmitted diseases). Evidence even suggests that child maltreatment can influence clinical symptoms and course of illness as well as treatment response in mental disorders, highlighting that disorders that have manifested in the context of child maltreatment may be biologically distinct. Overall, the child maltreatment-morbidity connection makes up a large fraction of the global burden of disease. The economic burden is estimated at $124 billion aggregate, which includes loss of productivity and educational and adult health services. In this issue ofJAMA Psychi...
Source: JAMA Psychiatry - Category: Psychiatry Source Type: research