Objective: Objective: The goal of this study was to survey individuals with PD to evaluate whether intensity of childhood trauma is associated with individual symptoms, overall disease severity, or quality of life.
Background: Background: Childhood trauma has been shown to be associated with adverse health outcomes that can last a lifetime. The effects of trauma have not been evaluated in a Parkinson’s disease (PD) population.
Method: Methods: An internet-based, observational survey was designed to evaluate modifiable variables associated with PD progression. In this cross-sectional analysis, Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) were used as a measure of childhood trauma, Patient Reported Outcomes in PD (PRO-PD) for the primary measure of PD severity, and PROMIS Global for Quality of Life (QoL).
Results: Results: 21% of individuals chose not to answer questions related to childhood trauma. Among respondents, QoL decreased as incidence of childhood trauma increased. Individuals with ACE scores 4 or higher reported greater symptom severity for 45% of the variables tested, including apathy, muscle pain, daytime sleepiness, restless leg syndrome, depression, fatigue, comprehension, and anxiety (p< 0.05) compared to individuals with trauma scores of zero.
Conclusion: Discussion: These data suggest childhood trauma is associated with a mild increase in non-motor symptom severity, worse quality of life scores and worse PD severity. While the associations were statistically significant, the impact of trauma was less robust than previously described predictors of severity, such as diet, exercise, and social connection. Future research should attempt to include more diverse populations, attempt to improve the response rate of these sensitive questions, and most importantly, determine whether the adverse outcomes associated with childhood trauma can be mitigated with lifestyle modification in adulthood.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
I. Subramanian, B. Mcdaniels, J. Farahnik, L. Mischley. Childhood Trauma and Parkinson’s Disease: Associations of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Disease Severity and Quality of Life [abstract]. Mov Disord. 2022; 37 (suppl 2). https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/childhood-trauma-and-parkinsons-disease-associations-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-disease-severity-and-quality-of-life/. Accessed May 13, 2025.« Back to 2022 International Congress
MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/childhood-trauma-and-parkinsons-disease-associations-of-adverse-childhood-experiences-disease-severity-and-quality-of-life/