UCSF

Background: There is a well-documented association between childhood trauma, including childhood abuse, and adult depression. Gender-based differences exist in this relationship, with adverse childhood experiences having a greater influence on depression in adult women. This paper joins the body of literature by describing the scope of mental health disorders and trauma in women residing in Mexico City. Specific Aims: The goal of this study was to describe childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in Mexican women and to explore the relationships between number and type of childhood traumatic events and depressive symptoms. Methods: This is a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional study conducted in Mexico City. A community-based sample of 100 women was interviewed in their homes, using a demographic questionnaire, the Life Stressor Checklist-Revised (LSC-R) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Childhood trauma and depressive symptoms are described; logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between childhood traumatic events and depressive symptoms. Results: Participants reported an average of 9.46 (SD = 4.18) lifetime traumas and 2.76 (SD = 2.34) childhood traumas. The mean CES-D score was 18.9 (SD = 12.0) and 36% of participants had clinically significant depression (CES-D ≥ 24). Depression scores were correlated with lifetime trauma, childhood trauma, education level, and number of comorbid health conditions. Depression scores were not significantly correlated with age, employment, marital status, number of children, or socioeconomic level. For every additional childhood trauma experienced, the odds of clinically significant depressive symptoms (CES-D ≥ 24) increased by 51% (adjusted OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.16 - 1.95), after controlling for number of children, education level, and number of comorbidities. Discussion: Our study builds on large population-based studies in Mexico, demonstrating the feasibility of conducting collaborative nurse-led research among community-based women in Mexico City. By utilizing an instrument designed specifically for the assessment of trauma in women, we found that the number of childhood trauma exposures predicts depression in an urban population. There is clear evidence supporting the need for trauma-informed care and interventions to reduce depression in urban, Mexican women.