The British Journal of Psychiatry (2009) 194: 319-325. doi: 10.1192/bjp.bp.107.047985
© 2009 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
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Gender differences in the association between childhood abuse and psychosis

Helen Fisher, MSc

Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, and MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry

Craig Morgan, PhD

Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry

Paola Dazzan, MRCPsych, Thomas K. Craig, FRCPsych and Kevin Morgan, PhD

Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, UK

Gerard Hutchinson, MRCPsych

Psychiatry Unit, Faculty of Medical Sciences, University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad, Trinidad & Tobago

Peter B. Jones, FRCPsych

Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, Cambridge

Gillian A. Doody, FRCPsych

Division of Psychiatry, University of Nottingham

Carmine Pariante, MRCPsych

Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry

Peter McGuffin, FRCPsych

MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry

Robin M. Murray, FRCPsych, Julian Leff, FRCPsych and Paul Fearon, MRCPsych

Division of Psychological Medicine and Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, London, UK

Correspondence: Helen Fisher, PO 80, Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry Centre, Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF, UK. Email: h.fisher{at}iop.kcl.ac.uk

Declaration of interest

None.

Funding

The ÆSOP study was funded by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) and the Stanley Medical Research Institute. H.F. is jointly funded by the Economic and Social Research Council and the MRC.

Background

Studies demonstrating an association between childhood trauma and psychosis in adulthood have not systematically explored gender differences.

Aims

To investigate gender differences in the prevalence of childhood sexual and physical abuse among people with psychosis in comparison with healthy controls.

Method

The Childhood Experiences of Care and Abuse Questionnaire was completed to elicit experiences of sexual and physical abuse during childhood in first-episode psychosis cases and population-based controls.

Results

Among women, those in the cases group were twice as likely to report either physical or sexual abuse compared with controls following adjustment for all confounders. In particular, the effect of physical abuse in women was stronger and more robust than that for sexual abuse. A similar trend was found for psychotic-like experiences in the female control group. No association was found in men.

Conclusions

Reports of severe childhood physical or sexual abuse were associated with psychosis in women but not in men.


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