Childhood Trauma, Metabolic Syndrome, and Physical Health among Outpatients with Schizophrenia

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVES: Childhood trauma increases substantial risks for later developing not only mental health issues including psychotic illnesses such as schizophrenia but also physical illness. In this study, possible associations of childhood trauma with metabolic syndrome and physical heath indices were tested among outpatients with schizophrenia. METHODS: A final sample of 46 adult outpatients with schizophrenia was recruited from an outpatient psychiatric unit of Hanyang University Guri Hospital. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), laboratory tests and physical measurement including Body Mass Index (BMI) and Waist to hip ratio (WHR). The Clinical Global Impression (CGI) scale and the Global Assessment of Functioning scale (GAF) were also administered. RESULTS: We did not find significant correlations between total scores of childhood trauma and any of these variables, but physical neglect was negatively associated with BMI (r = −0.329, p = 0.026) and waist circumference (r = −0.304, p = 0.040). CONCLUSIONS: In this preliminary study, we noted that subtypes of childhood trauma could contribute to physical health status separately. Clinicians need to consider the possibility that childhood trauma may affect physical health as well as psychological aspect of schizophrenic illness.