The Hospital del Mar Research Institute has reported an association between traumatic experiences in childhood or adolescence and a higher likelihood of physical illnesses in adulthood, based on a review covering more than six million people.
For Barcelona residents, the findings add evidence that childhood abuse, bullying, parental loss and abandonment can be linked to health needs that persist well beyond childhood. The research does not identify individual patients or set out a new treatment programme.
Review covered 250 published studies
The analysis, published in eClinicalMedicine, reviewed 36 earlier research reviews comprising 250 studies published worldwide up to April 2025.
- It examined links between childhood trauma and 15 common diseases.
- Conditions considered included autoimmune and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, migraine, multiple sclerosis, irritable bowel syndrome and HIV.
- The researchers found an association between any type of childhood trauma and each of the disease groups examined.
“People who have experienced childhood trauma are more likely to develop a somatic illness.”Dr Benedikt Amann, Hospital del Mar Research Institute and CIBER Mental Health Network
Physical health effects examined alongside mental health
The Hospital del Mar Research Institute said childhood trauma is already known to triple the risk of developing a mental disorder in adulthood. Its new review examined whether there was a comparable relationship with physical, or somatic, illnesses.
The institute estimates that 6% of adults have experienced adverse events during childhood. Readers can find the research summary on the Hospital del Mar website.
Reported by beteve.cat, Jennifer Edwards Baker and Tricia Macke, FOX 12 Staff, hospitaldelmar.cat, betevé.
