Childhood Adversities and Adult Psychopathology in the WHO World Mental Health Surveys

Overview

Journal Br J Psychiatry

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialty Psychiatry

Date 2010 Nov 2

PMID 21037215

Citations 858

Authors

Ronald C Kessler

Katie A McLaughlin

Jennifer Greif Green

Michael J Gruber

Nancy A Sampson

Alan M Zaslavsky

Sergio Aguilar-Gaxiola

Ali Obaid Alhamzawi

Jordi Alonso

Matthias Angermeyer

Corina Benjet

Evelyn Bromet

Somnath Chatterji

Giovanni de Girolamo

Koen Demyttenaere

John Fayyad

Silvia Florescu

Gilad Gal

Oye Gureje

Josep Maria Haro

Chi-Yi Hu

Elie G Karam

Norito Kawakami

Sing Lee

Jean-Pierre Lepine

Johan Ormel

Jose Posada-Villa

Rajesh Sagar

Adley Tsang

T Bedirhan Ustun

Svetlozar Vassilev

Maria Carmen Viana

David R Williams

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Although significant associations of childhood adversities with adult mental disorders are widely documented, most studies focus on single childhood adversities predicting single disorders.

Aims: To examine joint associations of 12 childhood adversities with first onset of 20 DSM-IV disorders in World Mental Health (WMH) Surveys in 21 countries.

Method: Nationally or regionally representative surveys of 51 945 adults assessed childhood adversities and lifetime DSM-IV disorders with the WHO Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI).

Results: Childhood adversities were highly prevalent and interrelated. Childhood adversities associated with maladaptive family functioning (e.g. parental mental illness, child abuse, neglect) were the strongest predictors of disorders. Co-occurring childhood adversities associated with maladaptive family functioning had significant subadditive predictive associations and little specificity across disorders. Childhood adversities account for 29.8% of all disorders across countries.

Conclusions: Childhood adversities have strong associations with all classes of disorders at all life-course stages in all groups of WMH countries. Long-term associations imply the existence of as-yet undetermined mediators.

Citing Articles

Alterations in cerebral resting state functional connectivity associated with social anxiety disorder and early life adversities.

Leypoldt M, Wiegand A, Munk M, Drohm S, Fallgatter A, Nieratschker V Transl Psychiatry. 2025; 15(1):80.

PMID: 40082409 PMC: 11906641. DOI: 10.1038/s41398-025-03301-x.

Binge Eating Disorder and Metabolic Syndrome: Shared Mechanisms and Clinical Implications.

Alagha M, Al-Alam F, Saroufine K, Elias L, Klaimi M, Nabbout G Healthcare (Basel). 2025; 13(5).

PMID: 40077044 PMC: 11898466. DOI: 10.3390/healthcare13050482.

The trajectory of anxiety symptoms during the transition from childhood to young adulthood is predicted by IQ and sex, but not polygenic risk scores.

Ravagnani Salto A, Salum G, Hoffmann M, Santoro M, Zugman A, Pan P JCPP Adv. 2025; 5(1):e12268.

PMID: 40060001 PMC: 11889643. DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12268.

The contribution of childhood trauma to irritability symptoms.

Grasser L, Yang R, Brotman M, Wiggins J JCPP Adv. 2025; 5(1):e12260.

PMID: 40059990 PMC: 11889654. DOI: 10.1002/jcv2.12260.

Is the Relationship Between Adolescent Social Isolation and Anxiety-Like Behaviors Altered by Microglia Ablation in Female Long Evans Rats?.

Blumberg M, Shipman A, Olyha L, Gironda S, Weiner J Brain Behav. 2025; 15(3):e70369.

PMID: 40059451 PMC: 11891277. DOI: 10.1002/brb3.70369.

References

Finkelhor D . The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl. 1994; 18(5):409-17. DOI: 10.1016/0145-2134(94)90026-4. View

Kessler R, Ustun T . The World Mental Health (WMH) Survey Initiative Version of the World Health Organization (WHO) Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI). Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2004; 13(2):93-121. PMC: 6878592. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.168. View

Kessler R, Amminger G, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Alonso J, Lee S, Ustun T . Age of onset of mental disorders: a review of recent literature. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2007; 20(4):359-64. PMC: 1925038. DOI: 10.1097/YCO.0b013e32816ebc8c. View

Jones G, Power C, Macfarlane G . Adverse events in childhood and chronic widespread pain in adult life: Results from the 1958 British Birth Cohort Study. Pain. 2009; 143(1-2):92-6. DOI: 10.1016/j.pain.2009.02.003. View

Edwards V, Dube S, Felitti V, Anda R . It's ok to ask about past abuse. Am Psychol. 2007; 62(4):327-8. DOI: 10.1037/0003-066X62.4.327. View

Hazel N, Hammen C, Brennan P, Najman J . Early childhood adversity and adolescent depression: the mediating role of continued stress. Psychol Med. 2008; 38(4):581-9. DOI: 10.1017/S0033291708002857. View

Shanahan L, Copeland W, Costello E, Angold A . Specificity of putative psychosocial risk factors for psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents. J Child Psychol Psychiatry. 2008; 49(1):34-42. DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2007.01822.x. View

Tennant C, Bebbington P, Hurry J . Parental death in childhood and risk of adult depressive disorders: a review. Psychol Med. 1980; 10(2):289-99. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700044044. View

Wark M, Kruczek T, Boley A . Emotional neglect and family structure: impact on student functioning. Child Abuse Negl. 2003; 27(9):1033-43. DOI: 10.1016/s0145-2134(03)00162-5. View

10.

Green J, McLaughlin K, Berglund P, Gruber M, Sampson N, Zaslavsky A . Childhood adversities and adult psychiatric disorders in the national comorbidity survey replication I: associations with first onset of DSM-IV disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010; 67(2):113-23. PMC: 2822662. DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2009.186. View

11.

Kessler R, Angermeyer M, Anthony J, de Graaf R, Demyttenaere K, Gasquet I . Lifetime prevalence and age-of-onset distributions of mental disorders in the World Health Organization's World Mental Health Survey Initiative. World Psychiatry. 2008; 6(3):168-76. PMC: 2174588. View

12.

Kessler R, Davis C, Kendler K . Childhood adversity and adult psychiatric disorder in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Psychol Med. 1997; 27(5):1101-19. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291797005588. View

13.

Merikangas K, Ames M, Cui L, Stang P, Ustun T, Von Korff M . The impact of comorbidity of mental and physical conditions on role disability in the US adult household population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2007; 64(10):1180-8. PMC: 2248275. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.64.10.1180. View

14.

Pereda N, Guilera G, Forns M, Gomez-Benito J . The international epidemiology of child sexual abuse: a continuation of Finkelhor (1994). Child Abuse Negl. 2009; 33(6):331-42. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.07.007. View

15.

Bifulco A, Brown G, Adler Z . Early sexual abuse and clinical depression in adult life. Br J Psychiatry. 1991; 159:115-22. DOI: 10.1192/bjp.159.1.115. View

16.

Haro J, Arbabzadeh-Bouchez S, Brugha T, de Girolamo G, Guyer M, Jin R . Concordance of the Composite International Diagnostic Interview Version 3.0 (CIDI 3.0) with standardized clinical assessments in the WHO World Mental Health surveys. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res. 2007; 15(4):167-80. PMC: 6878271. DOI: 10.1002/mpr.196. View

17.

Cohen P, Brown J, Smaile E . Child abuse and neglect and the development of mental disorders in the general population. Dev Psychopathol. 2002; 13(4):981-99. View

18.

Fergusson D, Horwood L . The Christchurch Health and Development Study: review of findings on child and adolescent mental health. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2001; 35(3):287-96. DOI: 10.1046/j.1440-1614.2001.00902.x. View

19.

Widom C . Posttraumatic stress disorder in abused and neglected children grown up. Am J Psychiatry. 1999; 156(8):1223-9. DOI: 10.1176/ajp.156.8.1223. View

20.

Edwards V, Holden G, Felitti V, Anda R . Relationship between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and adult mental health in community respondents: results from the adverse childhood experiences study. Am J Psychiatry. 2003; 160(8):1453-60. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.160.8.1453. View