TY - JOUR PY - 2018// TI - Early scars are forever: childhood abuse in patients with adult-onset PTSD is associated with increased prevalence and severity of psychiatric comorbidity JO - Psychiatry research A1 - Gekker, Márcio A1 - Coutinho, Evandro Silva Freire A1 - Berger, William A1 - Luz, Mariana Pires da A1 - Araújo, Alexandre Xavier Gomes de A1 - Pagotto, Luiz Felipe Araújo da Costa A1 - Marques-Portella, Carla A1 - Figueira, Ivan A1 - Mendlowicz, Mauro Vitor SP - 1 EP - 6 VL - 267 IS - N2 - 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.

Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Language: en

LA - en SN - 0165-1781 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.psychres.2018.05.042 ID - ref1 ER -