Estimating and forecasting global burden of mental disorders attributable to childhood sexual abuse or intimate partner violence: An analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021

Abstract

Background

As a leading global disease burden, mental disorders require critical assessment of related risk factors through disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) and years lived with disability (YLDs) to understand their public health impact.

Methods

With the data available from 2021 Global Burden of Disease (GBD), we mainly focused on the effect of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and intimate partner violence (IPV) on global burden of mental disorders. We estimated numbers and the age-standardized rate (ASR) of DALYs/YLDs by sex, age, socio-demographic index (SDI), and country, and calculated the estimated annual percentage change (EAPC). Moreover, we forecasted the DALYs/YLDs using the autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) model from 2022 to 2050.

Findings

From 1990 to 2021, the ASR of CSA-attributable DALYs/YLDs has declined from 18.25 (95 % uncertainty interval [UI] 9.04–31.13) to 18.08 (95%UI 8.75–30.97) per 100,000 population, while IPV-attributable ASR increased to 33.57 (95%UI 0.11–73.57) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021, the highest DALYs/YLDs rate was observed in the 40–45 age group. Females exhibited a higher number and ASR of DALYs/YLDs attributable to CSA than males, and as the sole victims of IPV, they are projected to experience a decline in both metrics from 2022 to 2050. Low-SDI regions consistently had the highest ASR of DALYs and YLDs. India, China, and the U.S. bear the greatest burden, with the U.S. showing the highest increasing trend (EAPC: 1.54 [95%UI 1.25–1.83]), while China exhibited a decline (EAPC: −1.88 [95%UI -2.14 to −1.61]).

Conclusions

CSA and IPV are key risk factors for mental disorders. The burden imposed on women often attracted more attention in the past, but we see a rising trend in CSA in men. Certain countries like Singapore are doing well while others are struggling. Cross-country learning is thus put forward as important in managing CSA and IPV and their attendant mental disorders.