Increasing prevalence of childhood violence in girls and young women in the USA could explain why women are more likely to be depressed than men in adulthood, suggest authors of a population-based study in this week’s issue of THE LANCET.
Major depressive disorder is a significant cause of illness among women in the USA. Women are twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression, although no known risk factors can account for this sex difference. Lauren Wise from the Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA, assessed violent childhood victimisation as a risk factor for depression in adult women.
The investigators studied women aged 36-45 years from seven districts of Boston, USA. Of 732 women, Depression scales identified 236 cases (women with depression) and 496 controls (women without depression). Lifetime exposure to violent victimisation was ascertained by a self-administered postal questionnaire.
50% of the women reported experience or fear of abuse as a child or adolescent. Women who reported childhood abuse were two and a half times more likely to be depressed in adulthood, and over three times more likely to be depressed if they experienced both physical and sexual abuse.
Lauren Wise comments: “Our results show the importance of encouraging health-care providers to inquire about and document any history of violence. Although we cannot assume that patients will willingly and accurately report violent events, victimisation screening should be routinely used in medical assessments to treat and prevent health conditions emanating from violent experiences. Data obtained from routine violent-victimisation screening could also inform efforts to develop violence-prevention programmes, to be implemented in health-care settings and in the broader community.”
Contact: Ms Lauren Wise, Department of Epidemiology, Harvard School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA ; T) +1 617 734 6013, ext 132; F) +1 617 738 5119; E)lwise@hsph.harvard.edu
Journal
The Lancet