Childhood maltreatment and the risk of impaired glucose metabolism or type 2 diabetes in young adults: Findings from the Lifelines Cohort Study

Abstract

We examined the associations between childhood maltreatment and the risk of impaired glucose metabolism (IGM) or type 2 diabetes (T2D) in young adults aged 18–35. Participants ( N = 8506) from the Lifelines Cohort Study without IGM or diabetes at baseline (2007–2013) were included. Childhood maltreatment was assessed by the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and incident IGM/T2D was assessed by haemoglobin A1c levels (≥5.7%) in 2014–2017. There were 223 (2.6%) cases of IGM/T2D during the follow-up period. After adjusting for sociodemographic and health/lifestyle covariates and follow-up time, only the CTQ Sexual Abuse subscale was significantly associated with IGM/T2D (RR = 1.05 [95% CI = 1.01, 1.10]). The association remained when additionally accounting for depressive and anxiety symptoms (RR = 1.05 [95% CI = 1.00, 1.09]). Childhood sexual abuse was associated with an increased risk of IGM/T2D in young adults, highlighting the long-term metabolic consequences of childhood maltreatment.