A 2003 study of 3,527 women in Washington state found that women who are physically abused as children have more health problems than women not abused. Women who were physically abused or who witnessed violence between their parents are also more likely to experience intimate partner violence and emotional abuse as adults.
Women who were sexually abused but did not suffer other physical abuse or witness parental violence did not appear to be at a higher risk for intimate partner violence or poor health. The association between childhood physical abuse and poor health held even for women who had not recently experienced partner violence.
How can we make sense out of these results? We already know that childhood abuse affects brain development. Children who are physically abused or witness violence can't escape these situations. They learn ways to cope, sometimes at the expense of their health.
The researchers found that women younger than 36 had more than 10 times the risk of intimate partner violence and twice the risk of emotional abuse compared to women 46 years and older, regardless of their childhood experiences. This may be more evidence that emotions mellow with age, or we may be seeing the results of increased exposure to violence among young people. Future research should shed more light on this interesting finding.
Reference: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, July 2003
Last updated 11/8/05
