Childhood maltreatment predicts physical health in college students.

PREVENTION of child abuse; EVALUATION of medical care; OBESITY; BLOOD pressure; PSYCHOLOGY of college students; CHILD abuse; SELF-evaluation; PHYSICAL fitness; HEALTH status indicators; BLOOD sugar; RISK assessment; METABOLIC syndrome; HEART beat; WAIST circumference; DESCRIPTIVE statistics; RESEARCH funding; BODY mass index

Objective: Childhood maltreatment (CM) is associated with physical health problems throughout the lifespan, yet more research is needed regarding the trajectory of health problems (e.g., onset of health risk indicators) in young adults. The current study examined whether college students self-reporting higher levels of CM exhibited poorer physical health outcomes. Method: Young adults in college (N = 100) completed a physical health assessment (heart rate, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, blood sugar, waist circumference), self-reported measures of health (symptoms of illness), and CM during spring semester 2018. Results: CM scores predicted higher heart rate and increased symptoms of illness. Females with maltreatment history presented higher levels of obesity and more metabolic syndrome conditions than their peers. Conclusions: Findings support the importance of examining the trajectory of CM to chronic disease, as health risk indicators are present in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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