Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-94fs2 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-15T15:19:07.222Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Adult social outcomes of extremely low birth weight survivors of childhood sexual abuse

Part of: Prenatal Origins of Adult Mental Health and Illness

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  19 September 2016

J. I. Lund ,
K. L. Day ,
L. A. Schmidt ,
S. Saigal  and
R. J. Van Lieshout
J. I. Lund*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
K. L. Day
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
L. A. Schmidt
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
S. Saigal
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
R. J. Van Lieshout
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
*
*Address for correspondence: J. I. Lund, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, ON, Canada L8S 4K1. (Email [email protected])
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Preterm birth and exposure to childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are early physiological and psychological adversities that have been linked to reduced social functioning across the lifespan. However, the joint effects of being born preterm and being exposed to CSA on adult social outcomes remains unclear. We sought to determine the impact of exposure to both preterm birth and CSA on adult social functioning in a group of 179 extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000 g) survivors and 145 matched normal birth weight (>2500 g) participants in the fourth decade of life. Social outcome data from a prospective, longitudinal, population-based Canadian birth cohort initiated between the years of 1977 and 1982 were examined. At age 29–36 years, ELBW survivors who experienced CSA reported poorer relationships with their partner, worse family functioning, greater loneliness, lower self-esteem and had higher rates of avoidant personality problems than those who had not experienced CSA. Birth weight status was also found to moderate associations between CSA and self-esteem (P=0.032), loneliness (P=0.021) and family functioning (P=0.060), such that the adverse effects of CSA were amplified in ELBW survivors. Exposure to CSA appears to augment the adult social risks associated with perinatal adversity. Individuals born preterm and exposed to CSA appear to be a group at particularly high risk for adverse social outcomes in adulthood.

Keywords

child abuseextremely low birth weightlonelinessself conceptsocial functioning
Type
Original Article
Information
Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease , Volume 7 , Issue 6: Themed Issue: Developmental Origins of Adult Mental Health and Illness , December 2016 , pp. 581 - 587
Check for updates
Copyright
© Cambridge University Press and the International Society for Developmental Origins of Health and Disease 2016 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1. Glover, V, O’Connor, TG, O’Donnell, K. Prenatal stress and the programming of the HPA axis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2010; 35, 17–22.Google Scholar
2. Schlotz, W, Phillips, DI. Fetal origins of mental health: evidence and mechanisms. Brain Behav Immun. 2009; 23, 905–916.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
3. Doyle, LW, Anderson, PJ. Adult outcome of extremely preterm infants. Pediatrics. 2010; 126, 342–351.Google Scholar
4. Van Lieshout, RJ, Boyle, MH, Saigal, S, et al. Mental health of extremely low birth weight survivors in their 30s. Pediatrics. 2015; 135, 452–459.Google Scholar
5. Boyle, MH, Miskovic, V, Van Lieshout, R, et al. Psychopathology in young adults born at extremely low birth weight. Psychol Med. 2011; 41, 1763–1774.Google Scholar
6. Schmidt, LA, Miskovic, V, Boyle, MH, et al. Shyness and timidity in young adults who were born at extremely low birth weight. Pediatrics. 2008; 122, 181–187.Google Scholar
7. Waxman, J, Van Lieshout, RJ, Saigal, S, et al. Still cautious: personality characteristics of extremely low birth weight adults in their early 30s. Pers Individ Dif. 2013; 55, 967–971.Google Scholar
8. Finkelhor, D. Children as victims of violence: a national survey. Pediatrics. 1994; 94, 413–420.Google Scholar
9. Day, KL, Schmidt, LA, Vaillancourt, T, et al. Long-term psychiatric impact of peer victimization in adults born at extremely low birth weight. Pediatrics. 2016; 137, e20153383.Google Scholar
10. Chen, LP, Murad, MH, Paras, ML. Sexual abuse and lifetime diagnosis of psychiatric disorders: systematic review and meta-analysis. Mayo Clin Proc. 2010; 85, 618–629.Google Scholar
11. Chou, K. Childhood sexual abuse and psychiatric disorders in middle-aged and older adults: evidence from the 2007 adult psychiatric morbidity survey. J Clin Psychiatry. 2012; 73, e1365–e1371.Google Scholar
12. Maniglio, R. The impact of child sexual abuse on health: a systematic review of reviews. Clin Psychol Rev. 2009; 29, 647–657.Google Scholar
13. Safren, AS, Gershuny, SB, Marzol, WP, et al. History of childhood abuse in panic disorder, social phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder. J Nerv Ment Dis. 2002; 190, 453–456.Google Scholar
14. Colman, RA, Widom, CS. Childhood abuse and neglect and adult intimate relationships: a prospective study. Child Abuse Negl. 2004; 28, 1133–1151.Google Scholar
15. Herman, J, Russell, D, Trocki, K. Long-term effects of incestuous abuse in childhood. Am J Psychiatry. 1986; 143, 1293–1296.Google Scholar
16. Felitti, V. Long-term medical consequences of incest, rape, and molestation. South Med J. 1991; 84, 328–331.Google Scholar
17. Mullen, PE, Martin, JL, Anderson, JC, et al. The effect of child sexual abuse on social, interpersonal and sexual function in adult life. Br J Psychiatry. 1994; 165, 35–47.Google Scholar
18. Bagley, C, Ramsay, R. Sexual abuse in childhood: psychosocial outcomes and implications for social work practice. J Soc Work Hum Sex. 1986; 5, 33–47.Google Scholar
19. Dube, SR, Anda, RF, Whitfield, CL, et al. Long-term consequences of childhood sexual abuse by gender of victim. Am J Prev Med. 2005; 28, 430–438.Google Scholar
20. Fleming, J, Mullen, PE, Sibthorpe, B, et al. The long-term impact of childhood sexual abuse in Australian women. Child Abuse Negl. 1999; 23, 145–159.Google Scholar
21. Walker, EC, Sheffield, R, Larson, J H, et al. Contempt and defensiveness in couple relationships related to childhood sexual abuse histories for self and partner. J Marital Fam Ther. 2011; 37, 37–50.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
22. Whisman, MA. Childhood trauma and marital outcomes in adulthood. Pers Relationship. 2006; 13, 375–386.Google Scholar
23. Cole, PM, Woolger, C. Incest survivors: the relation of their perceptions of their parents and their own parenting attitudes. Child Abuse Negl. 1989; 13, 409–416.Google Scholar
24. Al-Fayez, G, Ohaeri, J, Gado, O. Prevalence of physical, psychological, and sexual abuse among a nationwide sample of Arab high school students: association with family characteristics, anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and quality of life. Soc Psych Psych Epid. 2012; 47, 53–66.Google Scholar
25. Lindberg, FH, Distad, LJ. Post-traumatic stress disorders in women who experienced childhood incest. Child Abuse Negl. 1985; 9, 329–334.Google Scholar
26. Lundberg-Love, P, Marmion, S, Ford, K, et al. The long-term consequences of childhood incestuous victimization upon adult women’s psychological symptomatology. J Child Sex Abus. 1992; 1, 81–102.Google Scholar
27. Tsai, M, Feldman-Summers, S, Edgar, M, et al. Childhood molestation: variables related to differential impacts on psychosexual functioning in adult women. J Abnorm Psychol. 1979; 88, 407–417.Google Scholar
28. Johnson, JG, Cohen, P, Brown, J, et al. Childhood maltreatment increases risk for personality disorders during early adulthood. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1999; 56, 600–606.Google Scholar
29. Lobbestael, J, Arntz, A, Sieswerda, S. Schema modes and childhood abuse in borderline and antisocial personality disorders. J Behav Ther Exp Psychiatry. 2005; 36, 240–253.Google Scholar
30. Simon, NM, Herlands, NN, Marks, EH, et al. Childhood maltreatment linked to greater symptom severity and poorer quality of life and function in social anxiety disorder. Depress Anxiety. 2009; 26, 1027–1032.Google Scholar
31. Saigal, S, Rosenbaum, P, Stoskopf, B, et al. Outcome in infants 501 to 1000 gm birth weight delivered to residents of the McMaster Health Region. J Pediatr. 1984; 105, 969–976.Google Scholar
32. Saigal, S, Szatmari, P, Rosenbaum, P, et al. Cognitive abilities and school performance of extremely low birth weight children and matched term control children at age 8 years: a regional study. J Pediatr. 1991; 118, 751–760.Google Scholar
33. Tanaka, M, Wekerle, C, Leung, E, et al. Preliminary evaluation of the Childhood Experiences of Violence Questionnaire short form. J Interpers Violence. 2010; 27, 396–407.Google Scholar
34. Walsh, CA, MacMillan, HL, Trocmé, N, et al. Measurement of victimization in adolescence: development and validation of the Childhood Experiences of Violence Questionnaire. Child Abuse Negl. 2008; 32, 1037–1057.Google Scholar
35. Bernstein, DP, Stein, JA, Newcomb, MD, et al. Development and validation of a brief screening version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. Child Abuse Negl. 2003; 27, 169–190.Google Scholar
36. Boyle, MH, Offord, DR, Hofmann, HG, et al. Ontario child health study: I. Methodology. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1987; 44, 826–831.Google Scholar
37. Hendrick, SS. A generic measure of relationship satisfaction. J Marriage Fam. 1988; 50, 193–198.Google Scholar
38. Byles, J, Byrne, C, Boyle, MH, et al. Ontario child health study: reliability and validity of the general functioning subscale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device. Fam Process. 1988; 27, 97–104.Google Scholar
39. McCubbin, HI, Patterson, J, Grochowski, J. Young adult social support inventory (YA-SSI). In Family Assessment: Resiliency, Coping and Adaptation – Inventories for Research and Practice (eds. McCubbin HI, Thompson AI, McCubbin MA), 1996; pp. 391–403. University of Wisconsin System: Madison, WI.Google Scholar
40. Russell, D, Peplau, LA, Cutrona, CE. The revised UCLA Loneliness Scale: concurrent and discriminant validity evidence. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1980; 39, 472–480.Google Scholar
41. Coopersmith, S. Self-Esteem Inventory. 1981. Counseling Psychologists: Palo Alto, CA.Google Scholar
42. Achenbach, TM. Manual for the Young Adult Self-Report and Young Adult Behavior Checklist. 1997. Department of Psychiatry, University of Vermont: Burlington, VT.Google Scholar
43. Achenbach, TM, Bernstein, A, Dumenci, L. DSM-oriented scales and statistically based syndromes for ages 18 to 59: linking taxonomic paradigms to facilitate multitaxonomic approaches. J Pers Assess. 2005; 84, 49–63.Google Scholar
44. McEwen, BS. Early life influences on life‐long patterns of behavior and health. Ment Retard Dev Disabil Res Rev. 2003; 9, 149–154.Google Scholar
45. Rind, B, Tromovitch, P, Bauserman, R. A meta-analytic examination of assumed properties of child sexual abuse using college samples. Psychol Bull. 1998; 124, 22–53.Google Scholar
46. Cohen, J, Cohen, P, West, SG, et al. Applied Multiple Regression/Correlation Analysis for the Behavioral Sciences. 2003. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates: Mahwah, NJ.Google Scholar
47. Jaekel, J, Pluess, M, Belsky, J, et al. Effects of maternal sensitivity on low birth weight children’s academic achievement: a test of differential susceptibility versus diathesis stress. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2015; 56, 693–701.Google Scholar
48. Nomura, Y, Chemtob, C. Conjoined effects of low birth weight and childhood abuse on adaptation and well-being in adolescence and adulthood. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2007; 2161, 186–192.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
49. Entringer, S, Buss, C, Wadhwa, P. Prenatal stress and developmental programming of human health and disease risk: concepts and integration of empirical findings. Curr Opin Endocrinol Diabetes Obes. 2010; 17, 507–516.Google Scholar
50. Nkansah-Amankra, S, Luchok, K, Hussey, J, et al. Effects of maternal stress on low birth weight and preterm birth outcomes across neighborhoods of South Carolina, 2000–2003. Matern Child Healt J. 2010; 14, 215–226.Google Scholar
51. Mulder, EJ, Robles, DM, Huizink, AC, et al. Prenatal maternal stress: effects on pregnancy and the (unborn) child. Early Hum Dev. 2002; 70, 3–14.Google Scholar
52. Weinstock, M. Alterations induced by gestational stress in brain morphology and behaviour of the offspring. Prog Neurobiol. 2001; 65, 427–451.Google Scholar
53. Heim, C, Newport, DJ, Heit, S, et al. Pituitary-adrenal and autonomic responses to stress in women after sexual and physical abuse in childhood. JAMA. 2000; 284, 592–597.Google Scholar
54. Pruessner, JC, Baldwin, MW, Dedovic, K, et al. Self-esteem, locus of control, hippocampal volume, and cortisol regulation in young and old adulthood. Neuroimage. 2005; 28, 815–826.Google Scholar
55. Eisenberg, N, Fabes, R, Guthrie, I, et al. Dispositional emotionality and regulation: their role in predicting quality of social functioning. J Pers Soc Psychol. 2000; 78, 136–157.Google Scholar
56. Alink, LR, Cicchetti, D, Kim, J, et al. Longitudinal associations among child maltreatment, social functioning, and cortisol regulation. Dev Psychol. 2012; 48, 224–236.Google Scholar
57. Ingram, RE, Luxton, DD. Vulnerability–stress models. In Development of Psychopathology: A Vulnerability–Stress Perspective (eds. Hankin BL, Abela JRZ), 2005; pp. 38–48. Sage Publications: Thousand Oaks, CA.Google Scholar
58. Heller, SS, Larrieu, JA, D’Imperio, R, et al. Research on resilience to child maltreatment: empirical considerations. Child Abuse Negl. 1999; 23, 321–338.Google Scholar
59. Blond, A, Whitaker, AH, Lorenz, JM, et al. Weight concerns in male low birth weight adolescents: relation to body mass index, self-esteem, and depression. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2008; 29, 166–172.Google Scholar
60. Rickards, AL, Kelly, EA, Doyle, LW, et al. Cognition, academic progress, behavior and self-concept at 14 years of very low birth weight children. J Dev Behav Pediatr. 2001; 22, 11–18.Google Scholar
61. Bolger, KE, Patterson, CJ, Kupersmidt, JB. Peer relationships and self-esteem among children who have been maltreated. Child Dev. 1998; 69, 1171–1197.Google Scholar
62. Nelson, EC, Lynskey, MT, Heath, AC, et al. A family study of adult twins with and without a history of childhood abuse: stability of retrospective reports of maltreatment and associated family measures. Twin Res Hum Genet. 2010; 13, 121–130.Google Scholar