Posted by Phillipa on June 23, 2010, at 12:20:15
I sure don't know if agree with this study from an Irish study. Schizophrenia linked to abuse???? Phillipa
Home Sexual trauma link to mental ill health
Sexual trauma link to mental ill health[Posted: Thu 17/06/2010 by Deborah Condon - www.irishhealth.com]
Traumatic sexual incidents, such as rape, may cause serious mental health problems in the years following the event, new Irish research has revealed.
Researchers at the University of Ulster examined the mental health of women who had visited rape crisis centres and found that sexual trauma played a role in the development of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia.
The Ulster researchers teamed up with the University of Southern Denmark to examine data gathered from the Danish Civil Registration System (CRS), which is a database of official information held on Danish citizens since 1968.
According to Prof Mark Shevlin of the University of Ulster, using the CRS was a unique type of research that had never been undertaken in this area before.
"Trauma research is fraught with methodological difficulties. The use of the CRS has allowed us to conduct case-control prospective studies in a very efficient way. Our most recent study identified an association between rape and subsequent diagnosis of a psychotic disorder over a 10-year period. This study would have been virtually impossible without the use of CRS data," he explained.
The study also found that the propensity for trauma victims to move away from the area in which the traumatic incident took place may also expose them to further mental health risks, as it disrupts their social support network.
Professor Shevlin said that these findings have important implications for the treatment and development of therapies for those with schizophrenia.
The researchers are planning to continue and extend their CRS research, to include traumatic childhood experiences and the subsequent psychological and behavioural problems that can result.
Details of these findings are published in the journal, Schizophrenia Bulletin.
poster:Phillipa
thread:951979
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100615/msgs/951979.html