Maltreatment Linked to Higher Inflammation in Girls

Maltreated girls show higher inflammation levels at an early age than boys who are maltreated or children who have not experienced abuse, finds a new study.

Girls who are abused during their early life have higher inflammation levels than boys who are maltreated and other kids who did not experience abuse, reports a new study. This conclusion may forecast chronic mental and physical health problems in midlife. The findings of the study are published in the journal Developmental Psychobiology.//

The study led by psychologist Katherine Ehrlich is the first to investigate the connection between low-grade inflammation during childhood and abuse.

Child Abuse Linked to Certain Mental Disorders
Certain types of child abuse are associated with specific mental problems later in life.

‘Abuse at an early age affects girls more than boys. ’

Inflammation plays an important role in several chronic diseases of aging, such as diabetes, heart disease, stroke, obesity as well as mental health outcomes, and the findings imply that maltreatment's link with inflammation does not rest dormant before emerging in adulthood. Instead, the study reveals that traumatic encounters have a much more immediate impact.

The study examined 155 kids aged 8-12 from low-income backgrounds who attended a weeklong day camp. The sample was racially diverse and included both maltreated and non-maltreated kids. Information on children's exposure to abuse was captured by utilizing the Department of Human Services records about maltreatment experiences in families.

The team surveyed five biomarkers of low-grade inflammation using non-fasting blood samples from the kids.

Child Abuse - A Rising Concern
Incidences of child abuse have risen in the last decades. Sentinel injuries are seen in young infants who cannot crawl.

Results revealed that girls who had been abused over multiple periods or had multiple kinds of exposures had the highest levels of inflammation. For boys, exposure to maltreatment was not reflected in higher levels of inflammation, but the study author cautioned against drawing conclusions without additional investigation targeted to boys.

Strict Screening Needed To Pick More Cases of Child Abuse
Recent study drew attention towards the importance of sticking by the screening guidelines in detecting cases of child abuse.

Source-Medindia

Child Abuse - When God�s Gifts Land in Devils� Clutches
Every second child in India had been a victim of some form of abuse. Worse still, more than 50% of the children had been subjected to sexual abuse of different kinds.