Was childhood sexual abuse linked to hypertension in young adulthood?

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Childhood and adolescent maltreatment has been associated with chronic conditions in adulthood, including cardiovascular disease. Less was known about its relationship with cardiovascular risk factors before cardiovascular disease develops, or whether the effects are evident in young adulthood. Few studies had examined sex differences, and most relied on self-reported outcomes subject to misclassification.

Researchers examined childhood maltreatment and hypertension in young adulthood using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, a nationally representative school-based sample of US adolescents. During follow-up, 11,384 participants, with a mean age of 29.9, retrospectively reported maltreatment before sixth grade (before age 11). The researchers examined neglect, physical and sexual violence, and a measure of social services visits to the home.

Blood pressure was measured during an in-home visit. Hypertension was defined as adult systolic blood pressure (SBP) of at least 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of at least 90 mmHg, or self-reported use of antihypertensive medication.

In adjusted models, women who experienced sexual abuse in early childhood had a higher prevalence of hypertension than women who did not experience sexual abuse (prevalence ratio 1.43; 95% confidence interval 1.00–2.05). Among men, sexual abuse was not statistically significantly associated with hypertension. Neglect, physical abuse and social services visits to the home during childhood were not associated with hypertension among either women or men. The researchers concluded that early childhood sexual abuse was associated with hypertension in young women.