Early sexual abuse and clinical depression in adult life
Article Abstract:
The prevalence and effects of sexual abuse in childhood are receiving widespread attention and have been intermittently studied since the late 19th century. There is a need to better identify victims, train professional staff, and document the effects of child sexual abuse. The definition of child sexual abuse needs clarification as well. Factors such as the meaning of physical contact versus non-contact, the age differential between victim and perpetrator, the use of force or coercion, and the relationship between the victim and perpetrator need to be addressed to standardize the definition of child sexual abuse. There are currently wide variations in reports of rates of abuse. The long-term effects of early child sexual abuse have not been studied extensively. In the present study, 286 mothers were interviewed three times, over two years, to assess their vulnerability to depression. To assess long-term factors implicated in the development of depression, childhood measures were taken as well. Nine percent of the subjects reported that they had been victims of physical sexual abuse before age 17, and 64 percent of these women met the criteria for depression during the study years. Statistical analysis of the data showed that the link between early child sexual abuse and depression was significant, even when other early factors, such as parental discord, violence, or institutionalization of the child, were statistically controlled for. These women were also more likely to have been separated or divorced, or never to have been married. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: British Journal of Psychiatry
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0007-1250
Year: 1991
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Schizophrenia, bipolar disorder and depression: a discriminant analysis, using 'lifetime' psychopathology ratings
Article Abstract:
Finding a natural boundary to define the major psychoses, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, has proven elusive. The analysis of longitudinal data for 302 psychiatric patients gathered over an average of nine years is reported. The data consisted of ratings of lifetime psychopathology and course of illness. Based on narratives and in some cases reports of interviews with patients, patients were diagnosed according to standard psychiatric classifications. Subjects were 93 males and 209 females ranging in age from 14 to 79 years. Each was followed-up for from 18 months to 48 years. The average number of psychiatric admissions per patient was four, with a range of one to 31. Using standard diagnostic nomenclature, 79 patients were schizophrenics, 40 suffered from depression with psychotic features, 92 were bipolar (manic-depressive), 77 had depression, and 14 were classified as 'other.' Statistical analysis of the data showed that only bipolar illness was a distinct entity in terms of lifetime psychopathology and course of illness, but the standard diagnostic definition of bipolar disorder proved inadequate, because it failed to adequately address cases of bipolar illness where there is never the experience of a true manic, or high, phase. The remaining patients formed a continuum of symptoms, with schizophrenia on one end and depression on the other. Methodological variables are discussed. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: British Journal of Psychiatry
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0007-1250
Year: 1991
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Stress and puerperal psychosis
Article Abstract:
The period shortly after childbirth, the puerperium, has been observed to be a high-risk period for mental illness. At least three distinct disorders have been seen to arise in conjunction with giving birth: puerperal psychosis, which is mania or schizoaffective disorder beginning soon after delivery; prenatal depression; and postnatal depression. While social and psychological stress have been associated with depression, such a relationship does not seem to hold for puerperal psychosis. To test this hypothesis, 88 women in a mothers-and-babies unit (for new mothers experiencing mental illness) and 80 new mothers from a regular maternity unit in South Manchester, England, were evaluated. Stressful events and long-term difficulties, termed 'provoking agents,' were measured. The results indicated that 28 women in the regular maternity unit experienced provoking agents during the 36 weeks prior to being interviewed. In addition, patients diagnosed with prenatal depression experienced excessive stress, as a group. On the other hand, only 5 of 33 patients diagnosed with puerperal psychosis had encountered a provoking agent in the previous 38 weeks. In fact, mothers in the maternity unit actually experienced more stress than those who developed puerperal psychosis. Depression after childbirth was also associated with low rates of environmental stress. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)
Publication Name: British Journal of Psychiatry
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0007-1250
Year: 1990
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