Childhood maltreatment linked to subsequent mental disorders, substance use and suicides.

A recent study looked at the causal connection between childhood maltreatment and mental health, using a meta‐analysis of quasi‐experimental studies. The study, conducted in Australia, accounted for genetic and environmental confounding. The "population attributable fraction" was derived from combining the prevalence of maltreatment with the meta‐analysis. Maltreatment was defined as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect before the age of 18. The results found that childhood maltreatment accounted for 21% of depression and 41% of suicide attempts. The study, "Burden of mental disorders and suicide attributable to childhood maltreatment," was published online May 8 in JAMA Psychiatry, by L. Grummit and colleagues, concluded that more than 1.8 million cases of depressive, anxiety, and substance use disorders could be prevented if there were no childhood maltreatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]