Cited by 442Child Abuse and TraumaChild Welfare and AdoptionChild Abuse and Related Trauma

Long-term Cognitive, Psychological, and Health Outcomes Associated With Child Abuse and Neglect

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Strathearn, Lane, Giannotti, Michele, Mills, Ryan, Kisely, Steve, Najman, Jake, Abajobir, Amanuel·2020·Pediatrics

Abstract

Potential long-lasting adverse effects of child maltreatment have been widely reported, although little is known about the distinctive long-term impact of differing types of maltreatment. Our objective for this special article is to integrate findings from the Mater-University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy, a longitudinal prenatal cohort study spanning 2 decades. We compare and contrast the associations of specific types of maltreatment with long-term cognitive, psychological, addiction, sexual health, and physical health outcomes assessed in up to 5200 offspring at 14 and/or 21 years of age. Overall, psychological maltreatment (emotional abuse and/or neglect) was associated with the greatest number of adverse outcomes in almost all areas of assessment. Sexual abuse was associated with early sexual debut and youth pregnancy, attention problems, posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and depression, although associations were not specific for sexual abuse. Physical abuse was associated with externalizing behavior problems, delinquency, and drug abuse. Neglect, but not emotional abuse, was associated with having multiple sexual partners, cannabis abuse and/or dependence, and experiencing visual hallucinations. Emotional abuse, but not neglect, revealed increased odds for psychosis, injecting-drug use, experiencing harassment later in life, pregnancy miscarriage, and reporting asthma symptoms. Significant cognitive delays and educational failure were seen for both abuse and neglect during adolescence and adulthood. In conclusion, child maltreatment, particularly emotional abuse and neglect, is associated with a wide range of long-term adverse health and developmental outcomes. A renewed focus on prevention and early intervention strategies, especially related to psychological maltreatment, will be required to address these challenges in the future.

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  1. [10]Gilbert R, Widom CS, Browne K, Fergusson D, Webb E, Janson S. Burden and consequences of child maltreatment in high-income countries. The lancet. 2009; 373(9657): 68– 81. 19056114

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Authors
Strathearn, L., Giannotti, M., Mills, R., Kisely, S., Najman, J., & Abajobir, A.
Affiliations
  • University of Iowa (US)
  • University of Trento (IT)
  • The University of Queensland (AU)
  • Dalhousie University (CA)
Corresponding author
Strathearn, Lane
Venue
Pediatrics
Published
2020-10-01
Volume
146
Issue
4
ISSN
  • 0031-4005 (ISSN-L)
  • 1098-4275
OpenAlex
W3087574257
Cited by
401
References
82
Citations by year
2026: 83 · 2025: 98 · 2024: 95 · 2023: 60 · 2022: 44 · 2021: 20 · 2020: 1
FWCI
12.49
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PEDIATRICS (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Iris (University of Trento) (submittedVersion)
  • Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, other-oa)
Funders
National Institute on Drug Abuse (R01DA026437)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
  • Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Pediatrics, Perinatology and Child Health › Child Abuse and Related Trauma
Keywords
child abuse, child neglect, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, long-term outcomes, cognitive development, school failure, addiction, cannabis use disorder, psychosis, post-traumatic stress disorder, depression, sexual health, delinquency, externalizing problems, pregnancy, miscarriage, asthma, visual hallucinations, intravenous drug use, harassment, prevention and early intervention
MeSH terms
Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior, Asthma, Australia, Mental Disorders, Body Height, Child, Child Abuse, Cognition, Dietary Fats, Educational Status, Female, Humans, Intelligence, Longitudinal Studies, Pregnancy, Pregnancy in Adolescence, Quality of Life, Sexual Behavior, Sleep Wake Disorders, Student Dropouts, Unemployment, Cohort Studies, Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders, Young Adult

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