Time does not heal all wounds: older adults who experienced childhood adversities have higher odds of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders

Sarah M Raposo; Corey S Mackenzie; Christine A Henriksen; Tracie O Afifi

doi:10.1016/j.jagp.2013.04.009

Time does not heal all wounds: older adults who experienced childhood adversities have higher odds of mood, anxiety, and personality disorders

Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2014 Nov;22(11):1241-50. doi: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.04.009. Epub 2013 Sep 5.

Authors

Sarah M Raposo¹, Corey S Mackenzie², Christine A Henriksen¹, Tracie O Afifi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
² Department of Psychology, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; Department of Psychology, Mount Royal University, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
³ Departments of Community Health Sciences, Psychiatry, and Family Social Sciences, University of Manitoba, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Electronic address: tracie.afifi@med.umanitoba.ca.

PMID: 24012227
DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2013.04.009

Abstract

Objective: We aimed to examine the prevalence of several types of childhood adversity across adult cohorts, whether age moderates the effect of childhood adversity on mental health, the relationship between childhood adversity and psychopathology among older adults, the dose-response relationship between number of types of childhood adversities and mental disorders in later life, and whether lifetime mental health treatment reduces the odds of psychopathology among older survivors of childhood adversity.

Methods: In a population-based, cross-sectional study on a nationally representative U.S. sample, we studied 34,653 community-dwelling Americans 20 years and older, including 7,080 adults 65 years and older from Wave 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Trained lay interviewers assessed past-year mood and anxiety disorders and lifetime personality disorders. Participants self-reported childhood adversity based on questions from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study.

Results: Childhood adversity was prevalent across five age cohorts. In our adjusted models, age did not moderate the effect of childhood adversity on mental disorders. Older adults who experienced childhood adversity had higher odds of having mood (odds ratio: 1.73; 95% confidence interval: 1.32-2.28), anxiety (odds ratio: 1.48; 95% confidence interval: 1.20-1.83), and personality disorders (odds ratio: 2.11; 95% confidence interval: 1.75-2.54) after adjusting for covariates. An increasing number of types of childhood adversities was associated with higher odds of personality disorders and somewhat higher odds of anxiety disorders. Treatment-seeking was associated with a reduced likelihood of anxiety and, especially, mood disorders in older adult childhood adversity survivors.

Conclusion: These results emphasize the importance of preventing childhood adversity and intervening once it occurs to avoid the negative mental health effects that can last into old age.

Keywords: Childhood abuse; childhood neglect; persistence; risk; treatment.

Publication types

Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Adult
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / psychology*
Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / statistics & numerical data
Age Factors
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Anxiety Disorders / epidemiology
Anxiety Disorders / etiology*
Cross-Sectional Studies
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Mood Disorders / epidemiology
Mood Disorders / etiology*
Personality Disorders / epidemiology
Personality Disorders / etiology*
Risk Factors
Socioeconomic Factors
Time Factors
United States / epidemiology
Young Adult