TY - JOUR
T1 - Impact of physical and sexual abuse on risk of hospitalisations for physical and mental illnesses
T2 - insights from two large prospective cohort studies
AU - Frank, Philipp
AU - Batty, G. David
AU - Pentti, Jaana
AU - Jokela, Markus
AU - Ervasti, Jenni
AU - Steptoe, Andrew
AU - Lewis, Glyn
AU - Kivimäki, Mika
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2024 The Authors
PY - 2024/5
Y1 - 2024/5
N2 - Background: Physical abuse can lead to severe health consequences that extend beyond immediate harm. We explored the associations of physical abuse experienced during childhood and adulthood with a wide range of adult health conditions requiring hospital treatment. Methods: We utilised data from a sub-cohort of 157,366 UK Biobank participants (46.4% of the baseline population; age range 45–81; 89,101 women) and repeated analyses in an independent population of 85,929 adults from the Finnish Public Sector (FPS) study (age range 17–78; 68,544 women). Participants in both cohorts reported instances of physical and sexual abuse at study baseline. Follow-up included 77 common health conditions ascertained from linkage data to national hospital and mortality registries. Findings: Mean follow-up duration was 4.6 years (SD 0.14) in UK Biobank and 10.6 years (4.3) in FPS. Physical and sexual abuse was associated with 22 mental and physical health conditions. After multivariable adjustments, participants who experienced abuse during both early and later stages of life had a 2.12- (95% confidence interval 1.39–3.23) to 3.37-fold (1.52–7.45) increased risk of mental and behavioural disorders, a 1.46 (1.20–1.79) to 1.83 (1.05–3.20) times increased risk of metabolic, haematologic, and respiratory diseases, and a 1.24 (1.07–1.45) times higher risk of inflammatory diseases compared with non-exposed participants. The absolute risk difference between these groups was greatest for metabolic and haematologic conditions (rate 381 and risk difference 160 per 100,000 person-years). Frailty, comorbidities, and competing risk of death did not modify these associations, but the possibility of bias or residual confounding cannot be excluded. Interpretation: Repeated exposure to physical and sexual abuse amplifies the risk of hospitalisations from mental disorders and physical diseases spanning diverse organ systems. Addressing this issue may necessitate multifaceted strategies, including shifts in societal norms, legal measures, and increased healthcare provision for affected individuals and their families. Funding: Wellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, U.S. National Institute on Aging, Academy of Finland.
AB - Background: Physical abuse can lead to severe health consequences that extend beyond immediate harm. We explored the associations of physical abuse experienced during childhood and adulthood with a wide range of adult health conditions requiring hospital treatment. Methods: We utilised data from a sub-cohort of 157,366 UK Biobank participants (46.4% of the baseline population; age range 45–81; 89,101 women) and repeated analyses in an independent population of 85,929 adults from the Finnish Public Sector (FPS) study (age range 17–78; 68,544 women). Participants in both cohorts reported instances of physical and sexual abuse at study baseline. Follow-up included 77 common health conditions ascertained from linkage data to national hospital and mortality registries. Findings: Mean follow-up duration was 4.6 years (SD 0.14) in UK Biobank and 10.6 years (4.3) in FPS. Physical and sexual abuse was associated with 22 mental and physical health conditions. After multivariable adjustments, participants who experienced abuse during both early and later stages of life had a 2.12- (95% confidence interval 1.39–3.23) to 3.37-fold (1.52–7.45) increased risk of mental and behavioural disorders, a 1.46 (1.20–1.79) to 1.83 (1.05–3.20) times increased risk of metabolic, haematologic, and respiratory diseases, and a 1.24 (1.07–1.45) times higher risk of inflammatory diseases compared with non-exposed participants. The absolute risk difference between these groups was greatest for metabolic and haematologic conditions (rate 381 and risk difference 160 per 100,000 person-years). Frailty, comorbidities, and competing risk of death did not modify these associations, but the possibility of bias or residual confounding cannot be excluded. Interpretation: Repeated exposure to physical and sexual abuse amplifies the risk of hospitalisations from mental disorders and physical diseases spanning diverse organ systems. Addressing this issue may necessitate multifaceted strategies, including shifts in societal norms, legal measures, and increased healthcare provision for affected individuals and their families. Funding: Wellcome Trust, UK Medical Research Council, U.S. National Institute on Aging, Academy of Finland.
KW - Cohort study
KW - Hospitalisations
KW - Mental disorders
KW - Physical abuse
KW - Physical illness
KW - Sexual abuse
KW - 3142 Public health care science, environmental and occupational health
U2 - 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100883
DO - 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100883
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85187369123
SN - 2666-7762
VL - 40
JO - The Lancet Regional Health - Europe
JF - The Lancet Regional Health - Europe
M1 - 100883
ER -