Childhood maltreatment and adulthood domestic and sexual violence victimisation among people with severe mental illness

PURPOSE: To investigate the association between childhood maltreatment and adulthood domestic and sexual violence victimisation among people with severe mental illness (SMI), and to explore this association in terms of gender differences and potential mediators. METHOD: A cross-sectional survey of 318 people living in the community who were receiving care from Community Mental Health Teams. Associations were assessed using logistic regression of multiply imputed data. RESULTS: 63 % (95 % CI 55–71 %) of men and 71 % (95 % CI 63–79 %) of women reported childhood maltreatment, 46 % (95 % CI 37–54 %) of men and 67 % (95 % CI 59–76 %) of women reported adulthood domestic violence victimisation, and 22 % (95 % CI 15–28 %)of men and 62 % (95 % CI 53–70 %)of women reported adulthood sexual violence victimisation. Men and women with SMI who reported experiences of childhood maltreatment were two to five times more likely to report domestic and sexual violence victimisation in adulthood after adjusting for confounders. The associations held for each of emotional, physical and sexual childhood abuse. CONCLUSION: People with severe mental illness have high prevalence of experiences of childhood maltreatment and adulthood domestic and sexual violence victimisation. Childhood maltreatment appears to be an independent risk factor for adulthood victimisation among men and women with SMI.