Childhood Trauma and Prescription Drug Use
Author Information
Author(s): Anda Robert F, Brown David W, Felitti Vincent J, Dube Shanta R, Giles Wayne H
Primary Institution: National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
Hypothesis
The ACE Score would be associated with increased rates and number of classes of prescriptions drugs used during an average of 6.1 years of follow-up of adults in the ACE Study cohort.
Conclusion
ACEs substantially increase the number of prescriptions and classes of drugs used for as long as 7 or 8 decades after their occurrence.
Supporting Evidence
- Prescription rates increased in a graded fashion as the ACE Score increased.
- Persons with an ACE Score of 5 or more had rates increased by 40%.
- Graded relationships were observed for the risk of being in the upper decile of number of classes of drugs used.
Takeaway
If kids go through really tough times, like abuse, they might need more medicine when they grow up.
Methodology
The study used the ACE Score to measure childhood trauma and assessed its relationship to prescription drug use in a cohort of adult HMO patients over an average follow-up of 6.1 years.
Potential Biases
Potential underreporting of ACEs and reliance on self-reported data could introduce bias.
Limitations
Responses about ACEs may be underreported due to their sensitive nature, and the study may not capture all relevant health conditions.
Participant Demographics
The study included 54% women and 46% men, with a mean age of 57 years; 76% were white.
Statistical Information
P-Value
< 0.0001
Confidence Interval
95% CI for various rates and odds ratios provided in the results.
Statistical Significance
p<0.0001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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