New study links childhood trauma to Covid-19 deaths, hospitalisations

LOS ANGELES - People who endured childhood adversity, like abuse or neglect, were more likely to be hospitalised or die from Covid-19 in adulthood, according to a new study by researchers of the University of Pittsburgh.

Higher self-reported childhood adversity was linked to 12 to 25 per cent higher odds of Covid-19 hospitalisation and mortality, according to the study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, reported Xinhua.

While age, sex, ethnicity, health, and sociodemographic factors have been related to such outcomes throughout the pandemic, this was the first study finding a link between these Covid-19 outcomes and childhood neglect and abuse.

"These findings highlight how trauma early in life can have long-lasting impacts on health decades later," said Jamie L. Hanson, a researcher in the Learning Research and Development Centre and an assistant professor in psychology at the university.

"We may need targetted interventions for individuals and certain communities affected by childhood adversity to lessen the pandemic's lasting impact," Hanson said. - BERNAMA-XINHUA