Genetic and Environmental Overlap Between Childhood Maltreatment and Adult Physical Health

Abstract

Past research demonstrates a phenotypic relationship between childhood maltreatment and adult health problems. Explanations of this association usually point to either: (a) a direct causal link, whereby exposure to early stress disrupts biological functioning during sensitive periods of development; or (b) an indirect effect operating through socioeconomic attainment, poor health behaviors, or some other pathway leading from childhood to adulthood. The current study examined whether the association between childhood maltreatment and adult health reflects genetic or environmental mediation. Using a large sample of adult American twins, we separately estimated univariate biometric models of child maltreatment and adult physical health, followed by a bivariate biometric model to estimate genetic and environmental correlations between the two variables. We found that a summary count of chronic health conditions shared non-trivial genetic overlap with childhood maltreatment. Our results have implications for understanding the relationship between maltreatment and health as one of active interplay rather than a simple cause and effect model that views maltreatment as an exogenous shock.