Making the connection between child abuse and cancer: Definitional, methodological, and theoretical issues

Abstract

Research has begun to explore the relationship between cancer and child abuse. Thus far, work has shown that child abuse is associated with higher odds of cancer in adulthood. Unfortunately, the current research is plagued by three interrelated issues: (1) there is no agreement as to what actions constitute abuse and how abuse types (i.e., physical, sexual, and emotional abuse) are distinct or interrelated; (2) analytic strategies limit the types of conclusions that can be drawn because of how they treat or measure abuse and related concepts; and (3) few theories exist to explain the connection between abuse and cancer. Each of these issues and their implications is described. Then an integrated theoretical framework that attempts to address current shortcomings is proposed. Going forward, abuse research should carefully consider the measures and mechanisms linking abuse to disease in order to test meaningful hypotheses and advance our theoretical understanding of these connections.