Childhood Trauma and Quality of Life in Bipolar Disorder: A Tunisian Study

Background: Childhood trauma (CT) has been considered as a promising environmental determinant associated to bipolar disorder (BD). Early trauma experiences have been suggested to contribute to both onset and clinical course of BD. Few studies have examined the relationship between childhood trauma and quality of life (QoL) in bipolar patients. Aims: Our study aims to assess childhood trauma in bipolar patients and to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and quality of life. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study, including 60 BD patients, in euthymia. We assessed CT history using Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and QoL using the 36-item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) then we examined childhood trauma within the group of patients according to QoL. Results: The majority of patients (81.66%) reported at least one type of childhood trauma history. The assessment of quality of life revealed a global average of 64.48. Mental component was impaired while physical component was preserved. Physical abuse was associated with a deterioration of QoL on the whole (p=0.01), particularly for its mental component (p=0.01). Physical neglect was linked to a deterioration of QoL on the whole (p=0.006), particularly for its physical component (p=0.02). Emotional abuse was associated with a deterioration of the physical component of QoL (p=0.02). Conclusion: BD is associated with a history of childhood maltreatment. Physical abuse and physical neglect are associated with deterioration of QoL in its mental component while emotional abuse is linked to deterioration of QoL in its physical component.