Abuse in Childhood and HPA Axis Functioning in Mentally Ill Patients

Abstract

In 1986 The European Council described family abuse as ‘each activity or negligence of one of the family members that are lifethreatening and can jeopardise physical and psychological integrity or freedom of another member of the same family or they seriously harm the development of his personality’. Ney et al. (1987)1 ranked the types of violence and negligence according to the extent of destruction of an individual. The most traumatic forms of violence are: physical violence: hitting on the face, asphyxiation, striking with a belt, agitation, burns, bone fractures verbal violence: intimidation, blaming, embarrassing, discrimination sexual violence: gang rape, oral sex, forced masturbation, forced intercourse, forced participation in pornography The epidemiological data point out the existence of the problem of abuse and using violence by parents towards children. It was stated that in the USA, from 11% to 62% of women (McCauley et al., 1997; Wyatt 1985)2,3 and from 3% to 39% of men (Kercher et al., 1984)4 were victims of sexual abuse in childhood. Different forms of abuse such as physical and emotional violence were believed to be an epidemic in the USA. What was researched were the traumatic experiences from childhood and later psychopathology. It was stated that sexual abuse in female children can later result in PTSD occurrence and concerns 10% of women in the USA (Kendler et al., 1995)5.