Early childhood abuse and limbic system ratings in adult psychiatric outpatients

J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 1993 Summer;5(3):301-6. doi: 10.1176/jnp.5.3.301.

Abstract

The authors investigated the hypothesis that early abuse might affect the development of the limbic system. During initial psychiatric evaluation, 253 outpatients completed a self-report scale, the Limbic System Checklist-33 (LSCL-33), designed to measure somatic, sensory, behavioral, and memory symptoms suggestive of temporal lobe epilepsy, along with a questionnaire about physical or sexual abuse. Physical abuse was associated with a 38% increase in LSCL-33 scores (P < 0.01), sexual abuse with a 49% increase (P < 0.02), and combined abuse with a 113% increase (P < 0.0001). Physical or sexual abuse alone was associated with elevated LSCL-33 scores only if the abuse occurred before age 18.

Publication types

  • Comparative Study
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brain / physiology
  • Child
  • Child Abuse / diagnosis
  • Child Abuse / psychology*
  • Child Abuse, Sexual / diagnosis
  • Child Abuse, Sexual / psychology*
  • Child, Preschool
  • Dissociative Disorders
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Limbic System / physiology
  • Limbic System / physiopathology*
  • Male
  • Mental Disorders / diagnosis
  • Mental Disorders / etiology
  • Middle Aged
  • Prefrontal Cortex / physiology
  • Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • Sex Factors
  • Somatoform Disorders / etiology
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires