The Long-Term Impact of Childhood Sexual Abuse on Incomes and Labour Force Status. ESRI Research Bulletin 2014/3/1

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) has been the subject of increasing attention in recent years. Reports such as Ryan (2009) and Murphy (2009) looked at abuse by Catholic clergy. However, in an earlier report McGee et al. (2002) had shown that abusers were often family members. Recent news stories from the UK have served as a reminder that CSA is not just an Irish issue. Studies on the impact of CSA have tended to be undertaken by researchers in the fields of health and psychology. These studies have shown links between CSA and psychological disorders such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety. Very few studies have been undertaken to look at the economic impact on individuals who have experienced CSA. In this Research Bulletin, we report on a study in which we examined whether people who experienced CSA suffered long-term economic consequences in terms of lower attachment to the labour market and/or lower incomes. Given the paucity of research on this question, this study is important in both the Irish and international contexts

The reduction in maize leaf growth under mild drought affects the transition between cell division and cell expansion and cannot be restored by elevated gibberellic acid levels

Growth is characterized by the interplay between cell division and cell expansion, two processes that occur separated along the growth zone at the maize leaf. To gain further insight into the transition between cell division and cell expansion, conditions were investigated in which the position of this transition zone was positively or negatively affected. High levels of gibberellic acid (GA) in plants overexpressing the GA biosynthesis gene GA20-OXIDASE (GA20OX-1(OE)) shifted the transition zone more distally, whereas mild drought, which is associated with lowered GA biosynthesis, resulted in a more basal positioning. However, the increased levels of GA in the GA20OX-1(OE) line were insufficient to convey tolerance to the mild drought treatment, indicating that another mechanism in addition to lowered GA levels is restricting growth during drought. Transcriptome analysis with high spatial resolution indicated that mild drought specifically induces a reprogramming of transcriptional regulation in the division zone. 'Leaf Growth Viewer' was developed as an online searchable tool containing the high-resolution data

Childhood sexual abuse and later-life economic consequences

The impact of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) on later-life health outcomes has been studied extensively and links with depression, anxiety and self-harm have been established. However, there has been relatively little research undertaken on the possible impact of CSA on later-life economic outcomes. Here, we explore whether older people who report having experienced CSA have weaker labour force attachment and lower incomes compared to other people. We use data from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) which is a nationally-representative survey of people aged 50 and over. We find that male victims of CSA are almost three times more likely to be out of the labour force due to sickness and disability. They also have significantly lower incomes and are more likely to live alone. These effects remain even when we control for childhood economic circumstances, other adverse childhood events, current mental health difficulties and negative health behaviours. We do not find any effects for female victims. Among the policy implications are the need to be more aware of the complex effects of CSA when designing labour market activation strategies such as training for the unemployed. The results are also relevant in the legal context where compensation awards are determined

Early-life circumstances and later-life loneliness in ireland.

Purpose of the study: This article examines the impact of early- and later-life circumstances on loneliness among people aged 65+ in Ireland. Design and methods: Data are from the first wave of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing, a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling adults aged 50+. The participants (N = 2,645) aged 65+ were included in the analysis. Because of the large number of never married persons in the older Irish population, we first used a multinomial logistic model to examine which childhood circumstances are associated with current marital status. We then estimated multiple regression models for loneliness, in stages conforming to the life course, to examine the extent to which early events are mediated by later events. Results: Poor childhood socioeconomic status (for men and women) and parental substance abuse (for men) have direct effects on loneliness at older ages. Implications: The results indicate the significance of the childhood environment for understanding loneliness in later life. Future research should examine possible pathways not currently measured that may be responsible for the association of early environment and later-life loneliness and explore the links between childhood and other measures of well-being in old age. The relationship of childhood socioeconomic deprivation and parental substance abuse with adult well-being should be an important consideration in social policy planning