The Role of Protective Adults in Mitigating Health Outcomes Linked to Childhood Physical and Sexual Abuse

Childhood physical and/or sexual abuse are associated with negative physical and mental health outcomes in adulthood. Protective factors may contribute to resilience and reduce the risk of these adult health outcomes. This study aims to determine if the presence of a protective adult can mitigate the association between childhood abuse and negative adult health outcomes. Data were obtained from the 2021 and 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (<i>n</i> = 83,495). Binary logistic regression was used to compare the odds of health outcomes in adults who experienced abuse before age 18 compared to those who did not, adjusting for the presence of a protective adult and socio-demographic, socioeconomic, and health behavior factors. Childhood physical and/or sexual abuse were associated with higher odds of physical and mental health conditions in adulthood. Adjusting for the presence of a protective adult partially attenuated the odds of many adult health outcomes. Understanding protective factors associated with childhood abuse may improve targeted outreach and provide helpful direction for the development of effective programs for children experiencing abuse.