Abstract
BACKGROUND: Bone health is crucial for overall well-being. While childhood trauma has broad implications for long-term health, its effects on bone metabolism and osteoporosis risk remain unclear.
METHODS: A retrospective cohort analysis was conducted using 165,920 participants from UK Biobank to address these questions. Childhood trauma was evaluated using the Childhood Trauma Screener (CTS). Linear regression models (coefficient β, 95 % CI) were used to assess associations between childhood trauma and blood bone-related markers and Bone mineral density (BMD). Cox proportional hazards regression models (Hazard Ratios [HR], 95 % CI) examined associations between childhood trauma and osteoporosis risk.
RESULTS: A total of 165,920 participants aged 37-71 years (95,214 [57.4 %] female; median [IQR] age, 58.0 [13.0] years) who completed the CTS without missing data were included. Childhood trauma participants exhibited significantly lower vitamin D levels (n = 165,904) across all models. Furthermore, a site-specific and model-dependent differences of BMD across different skeletal sites (n = 35,441) were revealed. Additionally, childhood trauma participants were associated with higher osteoporosis risk (n = 163,072) in multiple models, the HR was 1.173 (95 % CI: 1.099-1.253) in unadjusted model, 1.224 (95 % CI: 1.129-1.328) in lifestyle-adjusted model, and 1.136 (95 % CI: 1.063-1.214) in medication-adjusted model.
CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence that childhood trauma is significantly associated with altered bone metabolism and an increased risk of osteoporosis in later life. These findings emphasize the need for early-life stress management in promoting lifelong bone health.