Gender Differences in the Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma on Mental Health

A new study presented at the European Congress of Psychiatry reveals that childhood abuse and neglect affect men and women differently. Women are more affected by childhood emotional trauma and sexual abuse, whereas men are more affected by childhood physical and emotional neglect. Both men and women with a high score for childhood trauma were significantly more likely to show psychiatric symptoms as adults. Childhood trauma is a leading preventable risk factor for mental illness, and understanding which aspects of trauma are more damaging according to gender will facilitate research on the resilience process.