Childhood adversities and chronic conditions: examination of mediators, recall bias and age at diagnosis

Objectives The aim of this study was to (1) identify the influence of childhood socioeconomic status (CSES) on five chronic conditions: asthma, bronchitis, hypothyroid, migraine, and psychiatric disorders in later life; (2) determine the mediating role of childhood abuse (CA) in these associations, and (3) quantify recall bias due to respondent’s mental health in these associations. Methods 10,325 men and women from the Tromsø Study were followed for 13 years, and Poisson regression models were used. Results Low CSES was associated with a 16–23% higher risk of chronic conditions, and CA was associated with a 16–58% higher risk of chronic conditions (p Conclusions Low CSES and CA are associated with higher risk of chronic conditions in later life. A minor proportion of these associations are driven by recall bias