Major depression in individuals with a history of childhood physical or sexual abuse: Relationship to neurovegetative features, mania, and gender

Objective: Numerous studies have linked childhood trauma with depressive sy mptoms over the life span. However, it is not known whether particular neur ovegetative symptom clusters or affective disorders are more closely linked with early abuse than are others. in a large community sample from Ontario , the authors examined whether a history of physical or sexual abuse in chi ldhood was associated with particular neurovegetative symptom clusters of d epression, with mania, or with both. Method: The World Health Organization Composite International Diagnostic Interview was used to assess 8,116 indiv iduals aged 15-64 years. Each subject was asked about early physical and se xual abuse experiences on a structured supplement to the interview. Six hun dred fifty-three cases of major depression were identified. Rates of physic al and sexual abuse in depressive subgroups defined by typical and reversed neurovegetative symptom clusters (i.e., decreased appetite, weight loss, a nd insomnia versus increased appetite, weight gain, and hypersomnia, respec tively) and by the presence or absence of lifetime mania were compared by g ender. Results: A history of physical or sexual abuse in childhood was asso ciated with major depression with reversed neurovegetative features, whethe r or not manic subjects were included in the analysis. A strong relationshi p between mania and childhood physical abuse was found. Across analyses the re was a significant main effect of female gender on risk of early sexual a buse; however, none of the group-by-gender interactions predicted early abu se. Conclusions: These results suggest an association between early traumat ic experiences and particular symptom clusters of depression, mania, or bot h in adults.