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Chronic pain is a common form of disability, and is often reported among women with a history of victimization. In the present study, we combine six pain symptoms into a measure of self-reported pain, and compare women who have experienced child or domestic abuse with those who do not report such a history. A sample of 110 female patients (57 abused, 53 non-abused controls) was drawn from an adult primary-care practice of 905 patients in a small, affluent, predominantly Caucasian community in northern New England. The subjects ranged in age from 18 to 88 (M = 47). Subjects completed a self-administered questionnaire that was used clinically as part of the new-patient work-up. Women who reported either child or domestic abuse were significantly more likely to report pain symptoms than women in the control group. There was no significant difference between women who had experienced domestic abuse vs. child abuse alone. These findings held true even after controlling for depression. KEYWORDS. Chronic pain, victimization, child abuse, domestic abuse

An outbreak of cryptosporidiosis occurred in and around Clitheroe, Lancashire, in northwest England, during March 2000. Fifty-eight cases of diarrhea with Cryptosporidium identified in stool specimens were reported. Cryptospondium oocysts [...]

Some 130 patients with a past history of abuse were surveyed to study whether child and domestic abuse could contribute to the likelihood of developing diabetes. Since child and domestic abuse were found to be chronic stressors, the study concluded that past victimization may make former victims of abuse more susceptible to diabetes or to its symptoms than nonabused individuals. The study further suggests that past victimization could likewise lead to a host of other health problems.