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Cited by 517Child Abuse and TraumaStress Responses and CortisolChild and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development

Childhood sexual abuse as a risk factor for depression in women: Psychosocial and neurobiological correlates

Weiss, Erica L., Longhurst, James G., Mazure, Carolyn M.·1999·American Journal of Psychiatry
DOI 10.1176/ajp.156.6.816
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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Depression is twice as common in women as in men, but the reason for this sexual dimorphism is unknown. This article reviews recent studies of the role of childhood sexual abuse in the subsequent development of major depressive disorder, and the biological and psychosocial mechanisms by which early stressors may contribute to adult-onset depression in women. Particular attention is paid to investigations of the long-term effects of early stress on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis function. METHOD: Studies were identified by means of computerized and manual searches; further references were obtained from the bibliographies of reviewed articles. RESULTS: Childhood sexual abuse is associated with adult-onset depression in both men and women, and occurrence of such abuse is more common in girls than in boys. There is evidence from both animal and human studies that early stressors produce long-term dysregulation of the HPA axis similar to that seen in depressed patients and that such dysregulation results in a differential response to stressors in adulthood. In addition, it appears that the HPA axis in females may be more susceptible to stress-induced dysregulation, which might contribute to an increased vulnerability to depression in adulthood. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood sexual abuse is an important early stressor that may predispose individuals to adult-onset depression by means of dysregulation of the HPA axis. Investigation of the mechanisms mediating the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and adult-onset depression, and the study of gender differences in exposure to this and other stressors, may improve our understanding of the etiology of depressive illness in general.

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Crossref · 10.1176/ajp.156.6.816

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87 of 87 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

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  • MDD was more prevalent among women, possibly related to gender discrimination, differential exposure to childhood or adult adversities such as sexual abuse, differential exposure to a complex host of different developmentally organized risk factors, or biologically different stress responses.

    “Major depressive disorder was more prevalent among women, possibly related to gender discrimination, 50 differential exposure to childhood or adult adversities 51 such as sexual abuse, 52 differential exposure to a complex host of different developmentally organized risk factors, 53 or biologically different stress responses.54”

    From Epidemiology of Adult <i>DSM-5</i> Major Depressive Disorder and Its Specifiers in the United States (2018) · cites this paper as [51]

  • Major depressive disorder has a strong association with maltreatment, especially among female individuals.

    “Major depressive disorder (MDD) has a strong association with maltreatment, especially among female individuals (4,6,7).”

    From Cortisol response to stress in female youths exposed to childhood maltreatment: results of the youth mood project (2009) · cites this paper as [7]

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Related

Authors
Weiss, E. L., Longhurst, J. G., & Mazure, C. M.
Affiliations
Yale University (US)
ORCID
Mazure, Carolyn M.
Venue
American Journal of Psychiatry
Publisher
American Psychiatric Association Publishing
Published
1999-06-01
Volume
156
Issue
6
Pages
816-828
ISSN
  • 0002-953X (ISSN-L)
  • 1535-7228
DOI
10.1176/ajp.156.6.816
OpenAlex
W2163503966
Cited by
517
References
87
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 7 · 2024: 8 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 11 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 19 · 2017: 13 · 2016: 24 · 2015: 27 · 2014: 28 · 2013: 26 · 2012: 15
FWCI
5.12
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Locations
  • American Journal of Psychiatry (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Behavioral Neuroscience › Stress Responses and Cortisol
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development
Keywords
child sexual abuse, depression, women, major depressive disorder, HPA axis dysregulation, early life stress, sex differences, neurobiology of depression, psychosocial risk factors, depression vulnerability
MeSH terms
Adult, Animals, Child, Child Abuse, Sexual, Depressive Disorder, Disease Susceptibility, Female, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System, Life Change Events, Male, Pituitary-Adrenal System, Risk Factors, Sex Factors, Stress, Psychological, Prevalence, Rats

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