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Cited by 380Child Abuse and TraumaIntimate Partner and Family ViolenceHealth disparities and outcomes

Long-Term Physical Health Consequences of Adverse Childhood Experiences

Open access
Monnat, Shannon M., Chandler, Raeven Faye·2015·The Sociological Quarterly
DOI 10.1111/tsq.12107PMC PMC4617302
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Abstract

This study examined associations between adverse childhood family experiences and adult physical health using data from 52,250 US adults aged 18-64 from the 2009-2012 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). We found that experiencing childhood physical, verbal, or sexual abuse, witnessing parental domestic violence, experiencing parental divorce, and living with someone who was depressed, abused drugs or alcohol, or who had been incarcerated were associated with one or more of the following health outcomes: self-rated health, functional limitations, diabetes, and heart attack. Adult socioeconomic status and poor mental health and health behaviors significantly mediated several of these associations. The results of this study highlight the importance of family-based adverse childhood experiences on adult health outcomes and suggest that adult SES and stress-related coping behaviors may be crucial links between trauma in the childhood home and adult health.

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  • Complex trauma is significantly associated with impaired physical health, including hypertension, diabetes, digestive disorders, obesity, poor heart health and cardiovascular risk, and high cortisol production.

    “Other studies have also shown a significant association between complex trauma and impaired physical health, including hypertension, diabetes, digestive disorders, obesity, poor heart health and cardiovascular risk, and high cortisol production”

    From Complex Racial Trauma: Evidence, Theory, Assessment, and Treatment (2023) · cites this paper as Monnat & Chandler, 2015

    The Results report associations between adverse childhood experiences and diabetes and heart attack; the Discussion also says obesity was more prevalent among adults who experienced those adversities. The paper studies specific adverse childhood experiences rather than complex trauma as a defined category. Our copy does not establish associations with hypertension, digestive disorders, or high cortisol production; the Discussion explicitly says cortisol levels were not measured. The supplied passages have section labels but no page numbers. (LLM, conf=0.88)

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Monnat, S. M., & Chandler, R. F.
Affiliations
Pennsylvania State University (US)
Corresponding author
Monnat, Shannon M.
ORCID
Monnat, Shannon M.
Venue
The Sociological Quarterly
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Published
2015-09
Volume
56
Issue
4
Pages
723-752
ISSN
  • 0038-0253 (ISSN-L)
  • 1533-8525
DOI
10.1111/tsq.12107
PMC
PMC4617302
OpenAlex
W1594863478
Cited by
380
References
12
Citations by year
2026: 27 · 2025: 39 · 2024: 45 · 2023: 55 · 2022: 41 · 2021: 81 · 2020: 32 · 2019: 22 · 2018: 20 · 2017: 15 · 2016: 3
FWCI
15.73
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
doi.wiley.com/10.1002/tdm_license_1.1 (tdm)
Locations
  • Sociological Quarterly (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
NICHD (R24-HD041025)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Health › Intimate Partner and Family Violence
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Keywords
adverse childhood experiences, childhood abuse, parental divorce, family dysfunction, adult physical health, self-rated health, functional limitations, diabetes mellitus, myocardial infarction, socioeconomic status, mental health, health behavior, mediation, childhood trauma

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