Childhood sexual abuse and childhood physical abuse are among the strongest
predictors of psychiatric pathology and severity of
clinical course, including suicide.2,4 - 14 The influence of childhood sexual abuse and childhood physical abuse on psychological development is thought to be mediated directly by changes in cognitive processing of threatening stimuli,15 - 18 resulting in enhanced negative affect to daily life stressors.19 Although there is a clear link between
early - life adversity and psychopathology, very little is known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for the long - lasting behavioral consequences of childhood abuse.