Researchers at Columbia University, the NIMH and the New York State Psychiatric Institute find that data drawn from a cross-sectional sample of the U.S. population (N=43,093) show that childhood physical abuse, which was frequently accompanied by other childhood adversities, resulted in a doubling of the risk for a broad range of DSM-IV psychiatric disorders. Higher frequencies of abuse were significantly associated with increasing odds of adult psychiatric disorder. Results appeared online July 16, 2012 in the Journal of Traumatic Stress.
Sugaya, L., Hasin, D., et al; “Child Physical Abuse and Adult Mental Health: A National Study.” Journal of Traumatic Stress. Online July 16, 2012