[SEX AND GENDER DIFFERENCES IN EXPOSURE TO CHILDHOOD VIOLENCE AND ITS EFFECT IN ADULTHOOD ON CHRONIC PHYSICAL...

Childhood exposure to violence and abuse has a long-term effect on physical and mental health. Recent research shed light on the connection between childhood maltreatment and an increase in chronic physical morbidity later in life. In this narrative review, we sought to look at this relationship through a gender lens. One major difference between genders is the nature of insults, whereas sexual abuse and chronic insults are more common among girls compared to boys. These differences manifest clinically during adulthood, and provide another explanation for the differences in epidemiology, pathophysiology, and clinical manifestations among women and men. In this review, we will demonstrate the connection between exposure to violence at a young age and the development of diseases according to body systems, including the immune, cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive and neurologic systems. The gender perspective can be found not only in the clinical and epidemiological fields, but also in basic sciences. In the last decade, new technological developments have made it possible to identify mechanisms that explain the clinical connection between early exposure to violence and chronic morbidity. Sex-dependent characteristics have been found when researching epigenetic changes, structural and functional changes in the central nervous system, disturbances in autonomic regulation and endocrine effects. We hope that this review will contribute to a multidimensional understanding of some overlooked risk factors for common chronic diseases and will open a new frontier for preventive medicine and early intervention.