Old Before Their Time : A Scientific Life Investigating How Maltreatment Harms Children and the Adults They Become

Taylor & Francis Ltd

Old Before Their TimeA Scientific Life Investigating How Maltreatment Harms Children and the Adults They Become\nAuthor(s): Frank W. Putnam\nFormat: Hardback\nPublisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd, United Kingdom\nImprint: Routledge\nISBN-13: 9781032974835, 978-1032974835\nSynopsis\nOld Before Their Time is the deeply personal story of a 35-year scientific investigation of the effects of childhood sexual abuse on child development and adult outcomes. The startling conclusion is that early childhood trauma accelerates biological aging of the body and the mind.\n\nThe reader will gain a comprehensive perspective on the many ways in which maltreatment embeds itself in a childs mind, body, and behavior and is expressed across generations. It concludes that the prevention of child maltreatment is the single most powerful target for the prevention of mental illness, and for reducing premature death from common illnesses.\n\nOne in five women and one in eight men report a history of child sex.