@article{ref1,
title="Early scars are forever: childhood abuse in patients with adult-onset PTSD is associated with increased prevalence and severity of psychiatric comorbidity",
journal="Psychiatry research",
year="2018",
author="Gekker, Márcio and Coutinho, Evandro Silva Freire and Berger, William and Luz, Mariana Pires da and Araújo, Alexandre Xavier Gomes de and Pagotto, Luiz Felipe Araújo da Costa and Marques-Portella, Carla and Figueira, Ivan and Mendlowicz, Mauro Vitor",
volume="267",
number="",
pages="1-6",
abstract="Childhood abuse and PTSD are independently associated with severe psychiatric comorbidity. We hypothesized that among patients with adult-onset PTSD, a history of child abuse was associated with increased prevalence and severity of comorbid mental disorders. Participants were 109 adult treatment-seeking patients, 23.9% of whom had a history of childhood sexual, physical or emotional abuse. The socio-demographic characteristics and comorbidity profile of PTSD patients with and without history of child abuse were compared using the two-tailed t-test and the chi-square test. PTSD patients with a history of child abuse had significantly higher average PCL-C hyperarousal [21.8 (SD = 3.6) vs 19.8 (SD = 3.5)] and BDI [35.7 (SD = 9.2) vs 29.1 (SD = 13.9)] scores, a significantly increased average number of lifetime [4.85 (SD = 1.43) vs 3.93 (SD = 1.33)] and current [4.46 (SD = 1.24) vs 3.75 (SD = 1.32)] comorbid disorders, and a greater prevalence of lifetime (73.1% vs 44.6%) and current (79.2% vs 46.7%) panic disorder/agoraphobia and of psychotic symptoms (73.1% vs 30.1%). All effect sizes were in the medium to large range. Adult-onset PTSD patients with a history of child abuse may represent a subgroup with a more severe form of the disorder that is associated with a more serious clinical course, treatment resistance and poorer outcome.<br><br>Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0165-1781",
doi="10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.042",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.042"
}