Childhood stress and adversity is associated with late-life dementia in Aboriginal Australians.
Loading...
Date
2017-09-18
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Affiliation(s)
(Radford, Delbaere, Draper, Mack, Daylight, Chalkley, Minogue, Broe) Neuroscience Research Australia, Sydney, NSW, Australia
(Radford, Delbaere, Draper, Mack, Broe) Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
(Cumming) School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
(Radford, Delbaere, Draper, Mack, Broe) Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
(Cumming) School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
Year
2017
Citation
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. Vol.25(10), 2017. pp. 1097-1106.
Journal
American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry
Conference name
Conference location
Grant information
No: 1103312 Organisation: (NHMRC) National Health and Medical Research Council Organisation No: 501100000925 Country: Australia
No: 1105106 Organisation: (NHMRC) National Health and Medical Research Council Organisation No: 501100000925 Country: Australia
No: 510347 Organisation: (NHMRC) National Health and Medical Research Council Organisation No: 501100000925 Country: Australia
No: 1105106 Organisation: (NHMRC) National Health and Medical Research Council Organisation No: 501100000925 Country: Australia
No: 510347 Organisation: (NHMRC) National Health and Medical Research Council Organisation No: 501100000925 Country: Australia
Abstract
Objectives: High rates of dementia have been observed in Aboriginal Australians. This study aimed to describe childhood stress in older Aboriginal Australians and to examine associations with late-life health and dementia. Design A cross-sectional study with a representative sample of community-dwelling older Aboriginal Australians. Setting Urban and regional communities in New South Wales, Australia. Participants 336 Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander Australians aged 60-92 years, of whom 296 were included in the current analyses. Measurements Participants completed a life course survey of health, well-being, cognition, and social history including the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), with consensus diagnosis of dementia and Alzheimer disease. Results CTQ scores ranged from 25-117 (median: 29) and were associated with several adverse childhood indicators including separation from family, poor childhood health, frequent relocation, and growing up in a major city. Controlling for age, higher CTQ scores were associated with depression, anxiety, suicide attempt, dementia diagnosis, and, specifically, Alzheimer disease. The association between CTQ scores and dementia remained significant after controlling for depression and anxiety variables (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.05-2.45). In contrast, there were no significant associations between CTQ scores and smoking, alcohol abuse, diabetes, or cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions Childhood stress appears to have a significant impact on emotional health and dementia for older Aboriginal Australians. The ongoing effects of childhood stress need to be recognized as people grow older, particularly in terms of dementia prevention and care, as well as in populations with greater exposure to childhood adversity, such as Aboriginal Australians.Copyright © 2017 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry
PubMed ID
28689644 [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=28689644]
Type
Article
Study type
Observational study (cohort, case-control, cross sectional, or survey)
Subjects
Dementia
Adverse childhood experiences
Adverse childhood experiences