Department of Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA 19122, USA.
Child Abuse Negl. 2012 Apr;36(4):323-32. doi: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2011.11.007. Epub 2012 May 6.
Although past research has documented a link between adverse childhood experiences - particularly childhood emotional (CEA), physical (CPA), and sexual abuse (CSA) - and depression, relatively few studies have examined the unique impact of each of these highly co-occurring abuse types. Moreover, relatively little is known about the specific aspects of abuse experiences that increase risk for depression (e.g., number of perpetrators). The current study provides a conservative test of the association between the number of CEA, CPA, and CSA perpetrators, and depressive episodes in adulthood.
Two hundred and ninety-nine participants were followed longitudinally for 2.5 years. CEA, CPA, and CSA were measured using the Lifetime Experiences Questionnaire, and depressive episodes were assessed with diagnostic interviews administered every 6 weeks.
After statistically controlling for the influence of cognitive risk for depression, baseline depressive symptoms, past history of clinical depression, and total number of different types of CEA, CSA, and CPA events, the number of CEA and CSA, but not CPA, perpetrators were uniquely associated with the number of depressive episodes experienced over the prospective follow-up.
These results indicate that experiencing CEA and CSA from multiple perpetrators increased risk for clinical depression beyond what is accounted for by the total number of types of abuse experiences. This study highlights the need for future research to assess the specific qualities of childhood abuse experiences that uniquely confer risk for clinical depression, as well as possible mechanisms through which they exert their deleterious effect.
尽管过去的研究已经证明了不良的童年经历（尤其是童年情感虐待、身体虐待和性虐待）与抑郁之间存在关联，但很少有研究探讨这些高度共发的虐待类型中的每一种对抑郁的独特影响。此外，对于增加抑郁风险的虐待经历的具体方面（例如，施虐者的数量），我们知之甚少。本研究对童年情感虐待、身体虐待和性虐待施虐者的数量与成年后抑郁发作之间的关联进行了保守检验。
299 名参与者进行了为期 2.5 年的纵向随访。使用终生经历问卷测量童年情感虐待、身体虐待和性虐待，每 6 周进行一次诊断访谈以评估抑郁发作。
在统计控制了抑郁认知风险、基线抑郁症状、既往临床抑郁病史和不同类型的童年情感虐待、性虐待和身体虐待事件总数的影响后，童年情感虐待和性虐待的施虐者数量与前瞻性随访期间经历的抑郁发作次数呈独特相关，而身体虐待的施虐者数量则没有这种相关性。
这些结果表明，从多个施虐者那里经历童年情感虐待和性虐待会增加临床抑郁的风险，超过了仅考虑虐待经历类型总数所预测的风险。本研究强调了未来研究评估独特导致临床抑郁风险的童年虐待经历的具体特征以及它们发挥有害影响的可能机制的必要性。
