Summary: Childhood maltreatment affects men and women in different ways, according to a new study. Women are more likely to show long-term effects from emotional abuse and sexual abuse in childhood, while men are more likely to be affected by emotional and physical neglect.
Source: European Psychiatric Association
New research finds gender-specific patterns in how childhood trauma relates to adult psychiatric symptoms.
A multinational research team reports that exposure to childhood maltreatment raises the risk of adult psychiatric symptoms in both sexes, but the type of maltreatment and the strength of its association with later symptoms differ between men and women. The study, presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry in Paris, examined how distinct forms of childhood trauma relate to a range of current psychiatric symptoms in adulthood.
Lead author Dr. Thanavadee Prachason of Maastricht University (Netherlands) explained: “Our findings indicate that exposure to childhood maltreatment increases the risk of having psychiatric symptoms in both men and women. However, exposure to emotionally or sexually abusive experiences during childhood increases the risk of a variety of psychiatric symptoms particularly in women. In contrast, a history of emotional or physical neglect in childhood increases the risk of having psychiatric symptoms more in men.”
The study analysed data from 791 volunteers across several countries, including the Netherlands, Turkey, Italy, Belgium, the UK, and the USA. Participants completed measures of childhood trauma and were assessed for current psychiatric symptoms such as anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive symptoms, phobias, interpersonal sensitivity, and other common psychiatric complaints. Researchers then linked specific types of childhood maltreatment—emotional abuse, sexual abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect—to the pattern and severity of adult symptoms.
Overall, higher scores on childhood trauma measures were associated with a significantly greater likelihood of psychiatric symptoms in adulthood for both men and women. However, the strength of those associations differed by gender. The analysis found that emotional abuse in childhood was linked to adult psychiatric symptoms in both sexes, but the association was about twice as strong in women compared with men. Women who experienced childhood sexual abuse showed higher levels of subsequent psychiatric symptoms, a pattern not observed among men in this sample.
In contrast, the researchers found that childhood neglect—both physical and emotional—was more strongly linked to later psychiatric symptoms in men than in women. Dr. Prachason clarified how the study defined these forms of neglect: “Physical neglect may include experiences of not having enough to eat, wearing dirty clothes, not getting taken care of, and not getting taken to the doctor when the person was growing up. Emotional neglect may include childhood experiences like not feeling loved or important, and not feeling close to the family.”
Senior investigator Professor Sinan Guloksuz (Maastricht University) emphasized the public health importance of the findings: “Childhood trauma is a widespread problem. It is difficult to gather accurate statistics, but a systematic review estimated that up to 50% of children worldwide had suffered from trauma in the previous year. A number of studies have shown that childhood trauma contributes to a variety of mental health problems, and it is estimated that, worldwide, around one-third of all psychiatric disorders are related to childhood trauma: childhood trauma is a leading preventable risk factor for mental illness.”
Commenting on the research, Professor Philip Gorwood (Université de Paris, Institut de Psychiatrie et Neurosciences de Paris) noted the value of identifying gender-specific effects: “This is an important finding, as childhood trauma has been clearly recognized as a major risk factor for the vast majority of psychiatric disorders, but with poor knowledge of gender specificities. Understanding which aspects of trauma are more damaging according to gender will facilitate research on the resilience process. Many intervention strategies will indeed benefit from a more personalized approach.” Professor Gorwood was not involved in this study.
Funding: This research was supported by the YOUTH-GEMs: Gene Environment interactions in Mental health trajectories of Youth project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe programme under grant agreement number 101057182.
About this mental health research news
Author: Press Office
Source: European Psychiatric Association
Contact: Press Office – European Psychiatric Association
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Original Research: These findings were presented at the 31st European Congress of Psychiatry.