Childhood Adversities and Complex Adult Psychopathology: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) Study
Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: Mental disorders affect over 26% of Americans aged 18 and older.For individuals having lifetime psychiatric diagnoses, comorbidity with one or more psychiatric disorders is common and occurs in 35-50% of adults with a mental illness.Retrospective epidemiological studies have reported significant associations between childhood adversities and adult mental disorders.Using the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) data, the central study objective examined how patterns of childhood adversities contribute to complex clusters of lifetime psychiatric disorders in adults, defined by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV).Childhood adversities of 1) sexual abuse, 2) physical abuse, 3) parental depression or anxiety, 4) parental alcohol or drug abuse, 5) living with one or no biological parent, 6) domestic violence, 7) being a crime victim, and 8) economic hardship were examined.The study examined two related hypotheses.The aims for the first hypothesis included: to import, review and subset NCS-R data, and next characterize descriptive epidemiology for DSM-IV mental disorder groupings and complex adult psychopathology with associations to childhood adversities by gender and age cohorts.Complex adult psychopathology is defined as clustering of two or more lifetime DSM-IV diagnoses spanning more than one clinical disorder group (mood, anxiety, impulse, substance abuse).It was hypothesized that childhood adversities patterns and the associations to subsequent complex adult psychopathology profiles would differ by gender and age cohorts.Gender-related differences in disorder rates were present in all four mental disorder groups but not in complex adult psychopathology.Males had higher prevalence rates of impulse and substance x
Author: Karen Putnam
Institution: University of Cincinnati
Language: English
Topic: Child Abuse and Trauma
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2337471145