Specific Associations Between Type of Childhood Abuse and Elevated C-Reactive Protein in Young Adult Psychiatric Rehabilitation Participants

Background: Early life adversity such as childhood emotional, physical, and sexual trauma is associated with a plethora of later-life psychiatric and chronic medical conditions, including elevated inflammatory markers. Although previous research suggests a role for chronic inflammatory dysfunctions in several disease etiologies, specific associations between childhood trauma types and later life inflammation and health status are not well understood. Methods: We studied patients (n=280) who were admitted to a psychiatric rehabilitation center. Self-reported histories of childhood emotional, physical, and sexual trauma history were collected. At the time of admission, we also assessed the body mass index (BMI) for each individual and collected blood samples that were used to examine levels of inflammatory marker C-reactive protein (CRP). Results: The prevalence of all three types of abuse was quite high, at 21% or more. 50% of the sample had elevations in CRP, with clinically significant elevations in 26%. We found that compared to a history of emotional or physical abuse, a history of childhood sexual trauma was more specifically associated with elevated CRP. This result held up when controlling for BMI. Limitation: Our sample is relatively young, with an average age of 27.2 years, with a minimal representation of ethnic and racial minority participants. Conclusion: Relative to childhood emotional and physical trauma, childhood sexual trauma may lead to elevated inflammatory responses, which were common overall in the sample. Future studies need to assess the causal link between childhood sexual trauma and poorer health outcomes later in life.