The association between childhood physical and sexual abuse and functioning and psychiatric symptoms in a sample of U.S. Army soldiers.

OBJECTIVE

We examined associations between abusive childhood experiences and functioning and psychiatric symptoms in an active duty sample of U.S. Army soldiers.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey of 204 soldiers stationed at a southern U.S. Army facility.

RESULTS

Forty-six percent of individuals reported childhood physical abuse alone, whereas 25% reported both childhood physical and sexual abuse. Soldiers' work, role, and social functioning; physical functioning; depression severity; and severity of alcohol misuse did not differ significantly with childhood abuse status (p > 0.22 for all). However, individuals who reported both childhood physical and sexual abuse reported severer posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms than did soldiers who reported no childhood abuse or childhood physical abuse only (p = 0.007).

CONCLUSIONS

Although abusive childhood experiences were common, soldiers with such experiences reported functioning as well as those soldiers without such experiences. Posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were significantly elevated only in those who reported both childhood physical and sexual abuse.