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According to a new study from the University of Toronto, adults who were physically abused during childhood are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than non-abused peers.

The study, published online this month in the journal Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior, found that approximately one-third of adults who were physically abused in childhood had seriously considered taking their own life. These rates were five times higher than adults who were not physically abused in childhood. 

"The findings have important clinical implications for healthcare providers, highlighting the importance of providing preventive treatment to childhood abuse survivors," lead author Esme Fuller-Thomson, Sandra Rotman Chair at University of Toronto's Factor says.

Previous studies have theorized that habituation to high levels of pain and fear through childhood abuse may contribute to adults' ability to inflict injury on themselves. Recent research suggests physical or sexual abuse may lead to changes in the stress response in the brain which increase the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior.

In the study, among a sample of 6,642 adults, it was found that 7.7 per cent of them had been physically abused before the age of 18. And the researchers found that there is a strong association between childhood physical abuse and subsequent suicidal behaviors

Co-author Tobi Baker, a former graduate student at the University of Toronto, notes, "One important avenue for future research is to investigate the bio-psycho-social mechanisms through which childhood physical abuse may translate into suicidal behaviors."