(Press-News.org) Toronto, ON, – New research from the University of Toronto found that childhood neglect, even in the absence of childhood sexual abuse and physical abuse, is linked with a wide range of mental and physical health problems in adulthood.
“While a large body of research has established the detrimental impact of childhood physical and sexual abuse on adult health outcomes, much less is known about whether neglect, in the absence of abuse, has similar negative outcomes,” said first author, Linxiao Zhang, a PhD student at the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work (FIFSW) at the University of Toronto. “Our research underlines the importance of health professionals documenting whether their patients have a history of neglect in addition to other childhood adversities.”
The researchers found significant associations between childhood neglect and numerous health problems in adults when controlling for age, sex and race. Examples of poor physical health included stroke, asthma, and COPD. Disabilities such as hearing impairment, vision impairment, cognitive impairment, and mobility issues were also linked with childhood neglect, as was poor mental health, such as depression.
The study, published this week in Child Abuse and Neglect, used a large representative sample of more than 41,000 American adults drawn from the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey.
Having established a link between childhood neglect and a range of mental and physical health problems, the authors were interested in identifying factors that may promote resilience among those who have experienced neglect. Further research indicated that the relationship between child neglect and adverse health outcomes in adulthood was largely attenuated when controlling for two key factors: adult socioeconomic status and the presence of a supportive adult in childhood.
“It appears that neglected children who manage to remain in school longer and have a reasonable income in adulthood are considerably less vulnerable to health problems in later life than neglected children who are less educated and less financially secure in their adult years.” said co-author Andie MacNeil, a PhD student at University of Toronto’s FIFSW.
Unfortunately, remaining in school longer may can be a challenge for those experiencing neglect. Previous research has found childhood adversity to be associated with leaving school early and earning less in adulthood. In turn, poverty and lower levels of education are often associated with more mental and physical health conditions in adulthood.
Children who have a supportive adult in their lives are also more likely to overcome challenges associated with neglect.
“A protective adult is someone who made the child feel safe and protected in the home,” said co-author Ishnaa Gulati, a recent Master of Public Health graduate of the Dalla Lana School of Public Health at the University of Toronto. “Our findings suggest that this nurturing role may provided critical support to children, even when they were lacking basic necessities.”
The authors are hopeful that these findings can help support the well-being of survivors of childhood neglect.
“Although there are still significant health disparities between those with and without a history of neglect, our findings highlight potential ways forward to help promote better health outcomes among survivors of neglect,” said senior author Esme Fuller-Thomson, a Professor at FIFSW and Director of the Institute for Life Course and Aging at the University of Toronto. “These findings emphasize the importance of mentoring interventions and other community-based supports that may promote feelings of safety and trust among neglected children, and to ensure neglected children have the resources and encouragement to remain in school as long as possible.”
END
Childhood neglect associated with stroke, COPD, cognitive impairment, and depression
The presence of a supportive adult and adult income and education largely attenuates the relationship between childhood neglect and poor adult health outcomes suggesting promising pathways for future interventions
2024-10-31
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
Landmark 20-year study of climate change impact on permafrost forests
2024-10-31
In perhaps the first long-term study of CO2 fluxes in northern forests growing on permafrost, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led research team has found that climate change increased not only the sources of carbon, but also the CO2 sinks.
The 20-year observation from 2003-2022 in the interior of Alaska showed that while CO2 sinks turned into sources during the first decade, the second decade showed a nearly 20% increase in CO2 sinks.
Graduate School of Agriculture Associate Professor Masahito Ueyama and colleagues found that warming led to wetness, which in turn aided the growth of black spruce trees. During photosynthesis, the growing trees were using the increasing ...
Researchers take broadband high-resolution frequency combs into the UV
2024-10-31
WASHINGTON — Researchers have developed a new ultrafast laser platform that generates ultra-broadband ultraviolet (UV) frequency combs with an unprecedented one million comb lines, providing exceptional spectral resolution. The new approach, which also produces extremely accurate and stable frequencies, could enhance high-resolution atomic and molecular spectroscopy.
Optical frequency combs — which emit thousands of regularly spaced spectral lines — have transformed fields like metrology, spectroscopy and precision timekeeping via optical atomic clocks, earning the 2005 Nobel Prize in Physics.
The ...
Not going out is the “new normal” post-Covid, say experts
2024-10-31
Compared with just before the Covid-19 pandemic, people are spending nearly an hour less a day doing activities outside the home, behaviour that researchers say is a lasting consequence of the pandemic.
A new study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Planning Association reveals an overall drop since 2019 of about 51 minutes in the daily time spent on out-of-home activities, plus an almost 12-minute reduction in time spent on daily travel such as driving or taking public transportation.
The analysis, based on a survey of 34,000 Americans, ...
Study shows broader screening methods help prevent spread of dangerous fungal pathogen in hospitals
2024-10-31
Study Shows Broader Screening Methods Help Prevent Spread of Dangerous Fungal Pathogen in Hospitals
Screening high-risk patients for Candida auris allows for early detection and implementation of infection control measures to prevent hospital outbreaks
Arlington, Va. — October 31, 2024 — A new study published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) describes the outcome of a shift in hospital screening protocols for Candida auris, a dangerous and often drug-resistant fungal pathogen that spreads easily in hospital environments. A comparison of screening results and patient outcomes before ...
Research spotlight: Testing a model for depression care in Malawi using existing medical infrastructure
2024-10-31
How would you summarize your study for a lay audience?
We tested a model of depression care in Malawi, a low-income country in sub-Saharan Africa, that builds off the infrastructure of the country’s HIV delivery system. The intervention involved clinical officers who delivered medications for depression, and it involved lay personnel, people living in the community, to deliver psychotherapy. Unlike past research, we did not limit our evaluation to improvements in depression; we also looked at improvements in other chronic health conditions that participants had, and we measured effects on household members.
What knowledge gap does your study help to ...
Depression care in low-income nations can improve overall health
2024-10-31
Treating people in low-income countries for major depressive disorder can also help improve their physical health and household members’ wellbeing, demonstrating that mental health treatments can be cost effective, according to a new RAND study.
Researchers examined a program in the sub-Saharan nation of Malawi that builds off the infrastructure of the country’s HIV care system and trains local people in rural communities to help treat people who suffer from depression.
The study found participants had significant improvements in their depression symptoms, ...
The BMJ investigates dispute over US group’s involvement in WHO’s trans health guideline
2024-10-30
The World Health Organization (WHO) says that it is adhering to standard protocol in pursuing its transgender health guideline, but the process has been criticised for lacking transparency and an association with WPATH - an organisation that supports the “gender affirming” approach, including hormones and surgery, for all ages - and is under fire for meddling with its own guideline development.
In The BMJ today, freelance journalist Jennifer Block investigates these concerns and the questions they raise about how evidence based the panel’s recommendations would be.
Earlier ...
Personal info and privacy control may be key to better visits with AI doctors
2024-10-30
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Artificial intelligence (AI) may one day play a larger role in medicine than the online symptom checkers available today. But these “AI doctors” may need to get more personal than human doctors to increase patient satisfaction, according to a study led by researchers at Penn State. They found that the more social information an AI doctor recalls about patients, the higher the patients’ satisfaction, but only if they were offered privacy control.
The research team published their findings in the journal Communication Research.
“We tend to think of AI doctors as machines ...
NIH study demonstrates long-term benefits of weight-loss surgery in young people
2024-10-30
What: Young people with severe obesity who underwent weight-loss surgery at age 19 or younger continued to see sustained weight loss and resolution of common obesity-related comorbidities 10 years later, according to results from a large clinical study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
Study participants with an average age of 17 underwent gastric bypass or sleeve gastrectomy weight-loss surgery. After 10 years, participants sustained an average of 20% reduction in body mass index (BMI), 55% reduction of type 2 diabetes, 57% reduction of hypertension, and 54% reduction of abnormal cholesterol. Both gastric ...
Sustained remission of diabetes and other obesity-related conditions found a decade after weight loss surgery in adolescence
2024-10-30
Ten years after undergoing bariatric surgery as teens, over half of study participants demonstrated not only sustained weight loss, but also resolution of obesity-related conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to the report published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Our study presents impressive outcomes of the longest follow-up of weight loss surgery during adolescence, which validates bariatric surgery as a safe and effective long-term obesity management strategy,” said lead author Justin Ryder, PhD, Vice Chair of Research for the Department ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Five minutes exposure to junk food marketing results in children consuming 130 kcals more per day, regardless of media advertising type
Key brain areas are larger in teenagers with abdominal obesity
3-month program of time-restricted eating at any time of the day supports long-term weight loss in adults with overweight or obesity
GLP-1 RA medications safe and effective for treating obesity in adults with mental illness
New study discovers link between delayed puberty and early-onset type 2 diabetes for the first time
Scientists create ‘mini-ovaries’ that may shed light on sex determination and infertility
CrystalTac: vision-based tactile sensor family fabricated via rapid monolithic manufacturing
Soft robots with Cy5: an “intake and work” imaging technique for intraoperative navigation of gastric lesion
The greater a woman’s BMI in early pregnancy, the more likely her child is to develop overweight or obesity, Australian study finds
The combination of significant weight gain and late motherhood greatly increases a woman’s risk of breast cancer, UK study finds
Weight-loss drugs cut alcohol intake by almost two-thirds, research in Ireland suggests
Swedish study explores differences in how the sexes break down fat
Antibiotics taken during infancy linked to early puberty in girls
Real-world evidence links long-term use of oral and inhaled steroids to adrenal insufficiency
Phthalates may impact key genital measurement in 3-year-olds
Phosphate levels in blood strongly affect sperm quality in men
Testosterone during pregnancy linked to physical activity and muscle strength in children
Menopause at an earlier age increases risk of fatty liver disease and metabolic disorders
Early-life growth proved important for height in puberty and adulthood
Women with infertility history at greater risk of cardiovascular disease after assisted conception
UO researcher develops new tool that could aid drug development
Call for abstracts: GSA Connects 2025 invites geoscientists to share groundbreaking research
The skinny on fat, ascites and anti-tumor immunity
New film series 'The Deadly Five' highlights global animal infectious diseases
Four organizations receive funds to combat food insecurity
Ultrasound unlocks a safer, greener way to make hydrogels
Antibiotics from human use are contaminating rivers worldwide, study shows
A more realistic look at DNA in action
Skia: Shedding light on shadow branches
Fat-rich fluid fuels immune failure in ovarian cancer
[Press-News.org] Childhood neglect associated with stroke, COPD, cognitive impairment, and depressionThe presence of a supportive adult and adult income and education largely attenuates the relationship between childhood neglect and poor adult health outcomes suggesting promising pathways for future interventions