Study: Abused and neglected children prone to depression in adulthood

By Staff Writer

A recent study shows that children who are abused or neglected are at risk for developing anxiety and depression during adulthood.

According to research published in the journal Neuropsychopharmacology, higher levels of cytokines or proteins linked to mental health disorders were found in adults who experienced traumatic experiences as a child, United Press International reports.

Researchers studied 69 adults, 19 of whom reported severe neglect or abuse during childhood. Each person participated in a stress test and a role-playing exercise and then was asked to count backwards from a number by multiples of 13. The study discovered that the people who reported childhood abuse or neglect had elevated concentrations of interleukin-6, a protein released in the blood when humans react to trauma.

Several hours after the stress tests and role-playing activities had finished, the subjects who had experienced childhood trauma still exhibited much higher levels of interleukin-6 than those who who had no significant background of distress, the study showed.

The nonprofit organization Childhelp states that more than three million reports of child abuse are made every year in the U.S., and in many cases a single report can involve multiple children.