Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Development of Recurrent Major Depression in Chinese Women

Abstract

BackgroundOur prior study in Han Chinese women has shown that women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at increased risk for developing major depression (MD). Would this relationship be found in our whole data set?MethodThree levels of CSA (non-genital, genital, and intercourse) were assessed by self-report in two groups of Han Chinese women: 6017 clinically ascertained with recurrent MD and 5983 matched controls. Diagnostic and other risk factor information was assessed at personal interview. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression.ResultsWe confirmed earlier results by replicating prior analyses in 3,950 new recurrent MD cases. There were no significant differences between the two data sets. Any form of CSA was significantly associated with recurrent MD (OR 4.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.19–5.24]). This association strengthened with increasing CSA severity: non-genital (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.58–3.15), genital (OR 5.24, 95% CI 3.52–8.15) and intercourse (OR 10.65, 95% CI 5.56–23.71). Among the depressed women, those with CSA had an earlier age of onset, longer depressive episodes. Recurrent MD patients those with CSA had an increased risk for dysthymia (OR 1.60, 95%CI 1.11–2.27) and phobia (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.09–1.80). Any form of CSA was significantly associated with suicidal ideation or attempt (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.20–1.89) and feelings of worthlessness or guilt (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–2.02). Intercourse (OR 3.47, 95%CI 1.66–8.22), use of force and threats (OR 1.95, 95%CI 1.05–3.82) and how strongly the victims were affected at the time (OR 1.39, 95%CI 1.20–1.64) were significantly associated with recurrent MD.ConclusionsIn Chinese women CSA is strongly associated with recurrent MD and this association increases with greater severity of CSA. Depressed women with CSA have some specific clinical traits. Some features of CSA were associated with greater likelihood of developing recurrent MD.

Environmental Factors That Distinguish between Clinical and Healthy Samples with Childhood Experiences of Abuse and Neglect

“…Furthermore, our findings of the role of parental psychiatric disorders were not completely consistent with previous findings [21,23,25,26,43] . Previous studies [23,37,44] postulated that parental psychiatric disorders may increase the risk for childhood maltreatment due to the failure of a parent with mental illness to tend to a child's needs [45,46] or because the parent-child relationship is impaired as a result of the parent's mental illness [47,48] .…”

Molecular Signatures of Major Depression

“…In CONVERGE, both childhood sexual abuse and stressful life events are strongly associated with risk for MD. More severe forms of abuse are more strongly associated with MD than milder forms, consistent with a causal relationship [ 16, 18–20 ].…”

“…Causal associations between stressful life events and early adversities such as childhood sexual abuse and major depression (MD) are well documented [ 12–14 ], suggesting that molecular signatures of stress may be enriched in sufferers of MD. The China, Oxford and VCU Experimental Research on Genetic Epidemiology (CONVERGE) recruited 5,864 women with recurrent MD and 5,783 matched controls, from whom low-coverage genome sequences were obtained together with aggregate measures of lifetime adversities, including assessments of childhood sexual abuse [ 15, 16 ] and stressful life events [ 17, 18 ]. In CONVERGE, both childhood sexual abuse and stressful life events are strongly associated with risk for MD.…”

Transtorno depressivo maior e transtorno bipolar: diferenciação por fatores genéticos, hormonais e exposição a estresse precoce

“…O EP deixas graves cicatrizes na vida do indíviduo, psicológica e biologicamente. Vários estudos apontam as inúmeras alterações epigenéticas e neuroendócrinas que contribuem para ao desenvolvimento de transtornos psiquiátricos a partir da experiência de EP, pois é a infância o período de maior plasticidade do sistema nervoso central (BRADLEY et al, 2008;BRUNSON et al, 2001;BUNEA et al, 2017;CARPENTER et al, 2009;CARR et al, 2013;CATTANEO et al, 2015;CHEN et al, 2014;COHEN et al, 2006;FOGELMAN & CANLI, 2018;HEIM et al, 2008HEIM et al, , 2010JURUENA et al, 2015;MARTINS-MONTEVERDE et al, 2019;WATSON et al, 2014;WILKINSON & GOODYER, 2011 (HEIM et al, 2008;JURUENA, 2014;TUNNARD et al, 2014;von WERNE BAES et al, 2012). 2,6,7,8,9, 11,12,14,15,16,17- ,13-dimethyl-2,6,7,8,9,11,12,14,15, (ARRIZA et al, 1987;VIENGCHAREUN et al, 2007;ZENNARO et al, 1995).…”

“…Buscou-se, em seguida, avaliar a correlação aldosterona e hipertensão. Não houve correlação entre os níveis de aldosterona controles (r²=-0,129; p=0,193), dentro dos unipolares (r²=-0,026; p=0,824), dentro dos bipolares (r²=0,115; p=0,370) e dentro da amostra geral (r²=-0,039; p=0,558 (BUNEA et al, 2017;BRADLEY et al, 2008;BRUNSON et al, 2001;CARR et al, 2013;CARPENTER et al, 2009;CATTANEO et al, 2015;CHEN et al, 2014;COHEN et al, 2006;FOGELMAN & CANLI, 2018;HEIM et al, 2008HEIM et al, a,b, 2010JURUENA, 2014;JURUENA et al, 2015;MARTINS-MONTEVERDE, 2019;NEWPORT et al, 2004;NEMEROFF et al, 2003;SHEA et al, 2005;von WERNE BAES et al, 2012;WATSON et al, 2014;WILKINSON & GOODYER, 2011) Ambos os grupos apenas pioram seu quadro de depressão após exposição.…”