To demonstrate prospective associations between child maltreatment and adult multimorbidity using administrative health data.
Approach:
Study Design: Utilized administrative health data to follow participants from ages 9 to 28 years.
Comparison: Compared participants with a history of child maltreatment to matched controls with no documented history of maltreatment.
Outcome Measurement: Assessed 13 types of health conditions and injuries, including all-cause mortality and multimorbidity.
Key Findings:
Participants with a history of child maltreatment had a 98% higher risk of all-cause mortality.
Child maltreatment was associated with an 88% higher risk of simple multimorbidity and a 96% higher risk of complex multimorbidity.
Mental health multimorbidity risk was increased by 262% among those with a history of maltreatment.
The absolute risk of death was 1.8%, simple multimorbidity was 17.6%, complex multimorbidity was 6.9%, and mental health multimorbidity was 5.0% at study end.
Interpretation:
The long-term health impacts of child maltreatment extend beyond mental health, affecting physical health outcomes and increasing the risk of multimorbidity.
Limitations:
Residual confounding due to unmeasured confounders.
Hospital records may miss a large proportion of child maltreatment cases.
Less evidence available for childhood sexual abuse and exposure to intimate partner violence.
Conclusion:
The study highlights the need for public health investment in primary prevention of child maltreatment to improve health outcomes across the lifespan.
