The March 2011 New Yorker has a most interesting piece, “The Poverty Clinic: Can a stressful childhood make you a sick adult?” It summarizes the results of a study called Adverse Childhood Experience done at the Kaiser HMO in San Diego.
Respondents described by writing their adverse childhood experiences (ten examples from divorce, emotional neglect, physical abuse to parents with alcoholism, mental health issues etc.) The respondents represented a mainstream middle to upper middle class demographic: 69% were Caucasian, 74% had attended college and the average age was 57. Respondents were given an ACE score, 1 point for every trauma experienced.
When the medical health history of respondents with high scores was examined it was found that the correlation of adverse childhood experiences and negative experiences was stunning.
Those with ACE scores 4 and higher were twice as likely to have had cancer, four times likely to have heart disease, four times as likely to suffer from lung disease and twelve times as likely to have attempted suicide.
Those with ACE scores higher than 7 who did not drink or smoke or were overweight still had a 360% chance of having heart disease.
The article also describes the Dunedin N.Z. longitudinal study of 1000 people since 1973, which has similar results.