Further evidence for the significance of a childhood abuse history in psychiatric inpatients

• Published in: Comprehensive psychiatry Vol. 32; no. 4; pp. 362 - 366
• Main Authors: Margo, Geoffrey M., McLees, Elvera M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.07.1991; Elsevier
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Anxiety Disorders - diagnosis; Anxiety Disorders - psychology; Biological and medical sciences; Borderline Personality Disorder - diagnosis; Borderline Personality Disorder - psychology; Child Abuse - diagnosis; Child Abuse - psychology; Child Abuse, Sexual - diagnosis; Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology; Depressive Disorder - diagnosis; Depressive Disorder - psychology; Female; Follow-Up Studies; Hospitalization; Humans; Medical sciences; Mental Disorders - diagnosis; Mental Disorders - psychology; Miscellaneous; Personality Development; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Risk Factors; Human; Mental disorder; Child abuse syndrome; Sexual violence; Victimology; Antecedent
• ISSN: 0010-440X; 1532-8384
• DOI: 10.1016/0010-440X(91)90086-R

The high prevalence of histories of childhood sexual and physical abuse in inpatient psychiatric populations is documented. In the present study, 38 female inpatients on a psychiatric unit in a teaching hospital were administered an abuse questionnaire and standard measures of psychological distress. Seventy-six percent of the women reported some history of abuse before the age of 16. As predicted, women who reported a childhood history of physical or sexual abuse scored significantly higher on measures of symptomatology and psychopathology as compared with women who did not report an abuse history. Findings confirm the reports of previous researchers, providing further evidence of the generalizability of these observations.