Child maltreatment as a predictor of adult physical functioning in a prospective British birth cohort

dc.contributor.authorArcher, G., Pereira, S. P., & Power, C.
dc.date.accessioned2017-11-03T16:28:37Z
dc.date.available2017-11-03T16:28:37Z
dc.date.issued2017
dc.description.abstractChild maltreatment (abuse and neglect) has established associations with mental health; however, little is known about its relationship with physical functioning. Physical functioning (ie, the ability to perform the physical tasks of daily living) in adulthood is an important outcome to consider, as it is strongly associated with an individual’s ability to work, and future disability and dependency. We aimed to establish whether maltreatment was associated with physical functioning, independent of other early-life factors. Setting 1958 British birth cohort. Participants 8150 males and females with data on abuse and who participated at age 50 years. The primary outcome was poor physical functioning at 50 years (<65 on the Short-Form 36 survey physical functioning subscale). Secondary outcomes included mental health and self-reported health at 50 years. 23% of participants reported at least one type of maltreatment; 12% were identified with poor physical functioning. Neglect (ORadj 1.55, 95% CI 1.24 to 1.93), psychological abuse (ORadj 1.49, 1.17–1.88) and sexual abuse (ORadj 2.56, 1.66–3.96) were associated with poor physical functioning independent of other maltreatments and covariates, including childhood social class, birth weight and childhood illness. Odds of poor physical functioning increased with multiple types of maltreatment (ptrend <0.001); ORadj ranged from 1.49 (1.23–1.82) for a single type to 2.09 (1.53–2.87) for those reporting > 3 types of maltreatment, compared with those with none. Associations of similar magnitude were observed for mental and self-reported health outcomes. Child neglect, psychological and sexual abuse were associated with poor physical functioning at 50 years, with accumulating risk for those with multiple types of maltreatment. Associations were independent of numerous early-life factors and were comparable in magnitude to those observed for mental health and self-rated health. Prevention or alleviation of the ill effects of maltreatment could be an effective policy intervention to promote healthy ageing.en_US
dc.identifier.citationArcher, G., Pereira, S. P., & Power, C. (2017). Child maltreatment as a predictor of adult physical functioning in a prospective British birth cohort. BMJ Open, 7(10), e017900.en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/10/e017900
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/11212/3589
dc.language.isoenen_US
dc.publisherBMJ Openen_US
dc.subjectGreat Britainen_US
dc.subjectInternational Resourcesen_US
dc.subjectchild maltreatmenten_US
dc.subjectlong term effectsen_US
dc.subjecthealthen_US
dc.titleChild maltreatment as a predictor of adult physical functioning in a prospective British birth cohorten_US
dc.typeArticleen_US

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