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Martin H. Teicher, Commentary: Childhood Abuse: New Insights into its Association with Posttraumatic Stress, Suicidal Ideation, and Aggression, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Volume 35, Issue 5, June 2010, Pages 578–580, https://doi.org/10.1093/jpepsy/jsq018
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The publication of the Battered Child Syndrome (Kempe, Silverman, Steele, Droegemueller, & Silver, 1962) opened our eyes to the large number of abused children. With this awareness came the dawning realization that exposure to early adversity is a major risk factor for psychopathology and poor health. The most sobering statistics arise from the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. Based on retrospective reports from 17,337 adult HMO members they concluded that exposure to early abuse and adversity accounted for 50–78% of the population attributable risk for drug abuse, depression, alcoholism, and suicide attempts [see (Anda et al., 2006) for a review]. Further, early adversity leads to the adoption of unhealthy habits (e.g., smoking, risky sex) associated with premature death. To paraphrase Fellitti, “what we recognize as common disorders in adult medicine and psychiatry are likely the result of what we fail to recognize or address in childhood (Felitti, 2002).”
Developmental traumatology is still in its infancy. We do not understand why exposure to abuse appears to profoundly affect some individuals but not others, or why it may be associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in some; depression, substance abuse, or antisocial behaviors in others still. The articles in this issue bring new findings to bear on these questions.
