Adult Health and Relationship Outcomes Among Women With Abuse Experiences During Childhood

Abstract

Associations between child abuse and/or witnessing intimate partner violence (IPV) during childhood and women’s health, adult IPV exposure, and health care use were examined. Randomly sampled insured women ages 18–64 (N = 3,568) completed a phone interview assessing childhood exposure to abuse and witnessing IPV, current health, and adult IPV exposure. Women’s health care use was collected from automated health plan databases. Poor health status, higher prevalence of depression and IPV, and greater use of health care and mental health services were observed in women who had exposure to child abuse and witnessing IPV during childhood or child abuse alone, compared with women with no exposures. Women who had witnessed IPV without child abuse also had worse health and greater use of health services. Findings reveal adverse long-term and incremental effects of differing child abuse experiences on women’s health and relationships.