A secondary analysis was conducted of a 2003 study of 176 hospital-based healthcare workers, which surveyed lifetime traumatic events, recent life events, psychological distress, coping, social support, and days off work due to stress or illness. Sixty eight percent (95 percent CI 61.1-74.9) of healthcare workers had one or more experience of violence, abuse or neglect, 33 percent (95 percent CI 26.1-40.0) before the age of 13. Compared to healthcare workers who did not experience childhood adversity, those who did reported more recent life events (median 11 vs. 5 over the previous 6 months, p less than .001) and greater psychological distress (median score 17 vs. 13, p less than .001). The relationship between life events and psychological distress was not linear. Most healthcare workers without childhood adversity (73 percent) reported a low number of life events which were not associated with psychological distress. Most healthcare workers with childhood adversity (81 percent) reported a higher number of life events, for which the correlation between events and distress was moderately strong (Spearman's rho = .50, p less than .001). Childhood adversity was also associated with more missed work days. Each of these outcomes was higher in 22 healthcare workers (13 percent) who had experienced more than one type of childhood adversity. Childhood adversity is common among healthcare workers and is associated with a greater number of life events, more psychological distress and impairment. Tables, figure, and references (Published Abstract)