Top

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology

Published in:

01-09-2009 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Impact of early childhood adversities on adult psychiatric disorders

A study of international adoptees

Authors: Esther J. M. van der Vegt, PhD, Wendy Tieman, PhD, Jan van der Ende, MS, Robert F. Ferdinand, MD, PhD, Frank C. Verhulst, MD, PhD, Henning Tiemeier, MD, PhD

Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology | Issue 9/2009

Abstract

Background

This study investigated international adoptees who were taken out of their problematic environments as a consequence of their adoption to determine the effects of early adversities on adult psychiatric disorders, and to study whether these effects emerged de novo after childhood.

Methods

A total of 1,364 adoptees (63.5% of the baseline sample) were followed. Parents provided information about early adversities prior to adoption, and mental health problems in childhood and adolescence. In adulthood, adoptees completed a standardized interview, generating DSM-IV diagnoses.

Results

Children who experienced multiple adversities had an increased risk of having anxiety disorders (OR = 2.22; 95% CI: 1.11–4.45), mood disorders (OR = 2.20; 95% CI: 1.00–4.86) or substance abuse/dependence (OR = 3.81; 95% CI: 1.62–8.98) in adulthood. Several effects remained significant after correction for mental health problems in childhood and adolescence.

Conclusions

Severe early adversities increase the risk of adult psychopathology, even when children are taken out of their problematic environments. Results suggest that psychiatric disorders may arise de novo after childhood due to early experiences.

Achenbach TM (1991) Manual for the child behavior checklist/4–18 and 1991 profile. University of Vermont, Department op Psychiatry, Burlington

Andrews G, Peters L (1998) The psychometric properties of the composite international diagnostic interview. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 33:80–88PubMedCrossRef

Arnow BA (2004) Relationships between childhood maltreatment, adult health and psychiatric outcomes, and medical utilization. J Clin Psychiatry 65(Suppl 12):10–15PubMed

Arrindell WA, Sanavio E, Aguilar G, Sica C, Hatzichristou C, Eisemann M, Recinos LA, Gaszner P, Peter M, Battagliese G, Kállai J, Van der Ende J (1999) The development of a short form of the EMBU: its appraisal with students in Greece, Guatemala, Hungary and Italy. Pers Individ Differ 27:613–628CrossRef

Bulik CM, Prescott CA, Kendler KS (2001) Features of childhood sexual abuse and the development of psychiatric and substance use disorders. Br J Psychiatry 179:444–449PubMedCrossRef

Carlson EB, Furby L, Armstrong J, Schlaes J (1997) A conceptual framework for the long-term psychological effects of traumatic childhood abuse. Child Maltreatment 2:272–295CrossRef

Caspi A, Sugden K, Moffitt TE, Taylor A, Craig IW, Harrington H, McClay J, Mill J, Martin J, Braithwaite A, Poulton R (2003) Influence of life stress on depression: moderation by a polymorphism in the 5-HTT gene. Science 301:386–389PubMedCrossRef

Cederblad M, Höök B, Irhammar M, Mercke AM (1999) Mental health in international adoptees as teenagers and young adults: an epidemiological study. J Child Psychol Psychiatry 40:1239–1248PubMedCrossRef

Costello EJ, Compton SN, Keeler G, Angold A (2003) Relationships between poverty and psychopathology: a natural experiment. JAMA 290:2023–2029PubMedCrossRef

10.

Dinwiddie S, Heath AC, Dunne MP, Bucholz KK, Madden PA, Slutske WS, Bierut LJ, Statham DB, Martin NG (2000) Early sexual abuse and lifetime psychopathology: a co-twin-control study. Psychol Med 30:41–52PubMedCrossRef

11.

Dutch Ministry of Justice (2008) Adoption: trends and analyses. Dutch Department of Justice, The Hague

12.

Felitti VJ, Anda RF, Nordenberg D, Williamson DF, Spitz AM, Edwards V, Koss MP, Marks JS (1998) Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: the adverse childhood experiences (ACE) study. Am J Prev Med 14:245–258PubMedCrossRef

13.

Fensbo C (2004) Mental and behavioural outcome of inter-ethnic adoptees: a review of the literature. Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry 13:55–63PubMedCrossRef

14.

Fergusson DM, Horwood LJ, Lynskey MT (1996) Childhood sexual abuse and psychiatric disorder in young adulthood: II. Psychiatric outcomes of childhood sexual abuse. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 35:1365–1374PubMed

15.

Gunnar MR, Fisher PA (2006) Bringing basic research on early experience and stress neurobiology to bear on preventive interventions for neglected and maltreated children. Dev Psychopathol 18:651–677PubMedCrossRef

16.

Gunnar MR, Bruce J, Grotevant HD (2000) International adoption of institutionally reared children: research and policy. Dev Psychopathol 12:677–693PubMedCrossRef

17.

Horwitz AV, Widom CS, McLaughlin J, White HR (2001) The impact of childhood abuse and neglect on adult mental health: a prospective study. J Health Soc Behav 42:184–201PubMedCrossRef

18.

Hudson CG (2005) Socioeconomic status and mental illness: tests of the social causation and selection hypotheses. Am J Orthopsychiatry 75:3–18PubMedCrossRef

19.

Jaffee SR, Moffitt TE, Caspi A, Fombonne E, Poulton R, Martin J (2002) Differences in early childhood risk factors for juvenile-onset and adult-onset depression. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59:215–222PubMedCrossRef

20.

Keiley MK, Howe TR, Dodge KA, Bates JE, Petti GS (2001) The timing of child physical maltreatment: a cross-domain growth analysis of impact on adolescent externalizing and internalizing problems. Dev Psychopathol 13:891–912PubMed

21.

Kendler KS, Bulik CM, Silberg J, Hettema JM, Myers J, Prescott CA (2000) Childhood sexual abuse and adult psychiatric and substance use disorders in women: an epidemiological and cotwin control analysis. Arch Gen Psychiatry 57:953–959PubMedCrossRef

22.

Kessler RC, Davis CG, Kendler KS (1997) Childhood adversity and adult psychiatric disorder in the US National Comorbidity Survey. Psychol Med 27:1101–1119PubMedCrossRef

23.

Luterek JA, Harb GC, Heimberg RG, Marx BP (2004) Interpersonal rejection sensitivity in childhood sexual abuse survivors: mediator of depressive symptoms and anger suppression. J Interpers Violence 19:90–107PubMedCrossRef

24.

Lynskey MT, Fergusson DM (1997) Factors protecting against the development of adjustment difficulties in young adults exposed to childhood sexual abuse. Child Abuse Negl 21:1177–1190PubMedCrossRef

25.

MacMillan HL, Fleming JE, Streiner DL, Lin E, Boyle MH, Jamieson E, Duku EK, Walsh CA, Wong MY, Beardslee WR (2001) Childhood abuse and lifetime psychopathology in a community sample. Am J Psychiatry 158:1878–1883PubMedCrossRef

26.

Mullen PE, Martin JL, Anderson JC, Romans SE, Herbison GP (1996) The long-term impact of the physical, emotional, and sexual abuse of children: a community study. Child Abuse Negl 20:7–21PubMedCrossRef

27.

Nelson EC, Heath AC, Madden PA, Cooper ML, Dinwiddie SH, Bucholz KK, Glowinski A, McLaughlin T, Dunne MP, Statham DJ, Martin NG (2002) Association between self-reported childhood sexual abuse and adverse psychosocial outcomes: results from a twin study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 59:139–145PubMedCrossRef

28.

Perris C, Jacobsson L, Lindström H, Von Knorring L, Perris H (1980) Development of a new inventory assessing memories of parental rearing behaviour. Acta Psychiatr Scand 61:265–274PubMedCrossRef

29.

Pirkola S, Isometsä E, Aro H, Kestilä L, Hämäläinen J, Veijola J, Kiviruusu O, Lönnqvist J (2005) Childhood adversities as risk factors for adult mental disorders: results from the Health 2000 study. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 40:769–777PubMedCrossRef

30.

Plomin R, Fulker DW, Corley R, DeFries JC (1997) Nature, nurture, and cognitive development from 1 to 16 years: a parent-offspring adoption study. Psychol Sci 8:442–447CrossRef

31.

Robins LN, Cottler L, Bucholtz K, Compton W (1997) National Institute of mental health diagnostic interview schedule, version IV (DIS-IV). Washington University, Department of Psychiatry, St. Louis

32.

Rutter M, O’Connor TG (2004) Are there biological programming effects for psychological development? Findings from a study of Romanian adoptees. Dev Psychol 40:81–94PubMedCrossRef

33.

Sánchez MM, Noble PM, Lyon CK, Plotsky PM, Davis M, Nemeroff CB, Winslow JT (2005) Alterations in diurnal cortisol rhythm and acoustic startle response in nonhuman primates with adverse rearing. Biol Psychiatry 57:373–381PubMedCrossRef

34.

Selman P (2002) Intercountry adoption in the new millennium; the “the quiet migration” revisited. Popul Res Policy Rev 21:205–225CrossRef

35.

Teicher MH, Tomoda A, Andersen SL (2006) Neurobiological consequences of early stress and childhood maltreatment: are results from human and animal studies comparable? Ann NY Acad Sci 1071:313–323PubMedCrossRef

36.

Tieman W, Van der Ende J, Verhulst FC (2005) Psychiatric disorders in young adult intercountry adoptees: an epidemiological study. Am J Psychiatry 162:592–598PubMedCrossRef

37.

Turner RJ, Lloyd DA (2004) Stress burden and the lifetime incidence of psychiatric disorder in young adults: racial and ethnic contrasts. Arch Gen Psychiatry 61:481–488PubMedCrossRef

38.

Van der Vegt EJM, Van der Ende J, Ferdinand RF, Verhulst FC, Tiemeier H (2008) Early childhood adversities and trajectories of psychiatric problems in adoptees: evidence for long lasting effects. J Child Abnorm Psychol

39.

Van Westerlaak JH, Kropman JA, Collaris JWM (1975) Beroepenklapper (manual for occupational level). Institute for Applied Sociology, Nijmegen

40.

Verhulst FC, Versluis-den Bieman HJ (1995) Developmental course of problem behaviors in adolescent adoptees. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 34:151–159PubMedCrossRef

41.

Verhulst FC, Althaus M, Versluis-den Bieman HJ (1990) Problem behavior in international adoptees: I. An epidemiological study. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 29:94–103PubMed

42.

Verhulst FC, Althaus M, Versluis-den Bieman HJ (1992) Damaging backgrounds: later adjustment of international adoptees. J Am Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry 31:518–524PubMedCrossRef

43.

Verhulst FC, Van der Ende J, Koot HM (1996) Handleiding voor de CBCL/4–18 [Manual for the CBCL/4–18]. Erasmus University, Sophia’s Children’s Hospital, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Rotterdam

44.

World Health Organization (1993) Composite international diagnostic interview (CIDI), core version 1.1. WHO, Geneva

Title: Impact of early childhood adversities on adult psychiatric disorders
A study of international adoptees
Authors: Esther J. M. van der Vegt, PhD
Wendy Tieman, PhD
Jan van der Ende, MS
Robert F. Ferdinand, MD, PhD
Frank C. Verhulst, MD, PhD
Henning Tiemeier, MD, PhD
Publication date: 01-09-2009
Publisher: Steinkopff-Verlag
Published in: Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology / Issue 9/2009
Print ISSN: 0933-7954
Electronic ISSN: 1433-9285
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-009-0494-6

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Impact of early childhood adversities on adult psychiatric disorders

A study of international adoptees

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 9/2009

The persistence of maternal distress and symptoms of distress in adult offspring

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after stigma related events in HIV infected individuals in Nigeria

The strengths and difficulties questionnaire: validation study in French school-aged children and cross-cultural comparisons

Fatigue, insomnia and nervousness: gender disparities and roles of individual characteristics and lifestyle factors among economically active people

Patterns of care in patients discharged from acute psychiatric inpatient facilities

Do stressful life events predict medical treatment outcome in first episode of depression?