Childhood Adversity and Early Initiation of Alcohol Use in Two Representative Samples of Puerto Rican Youth

Abstract

Early alcohol use is associated with multiple negative outcomes later in life, including substance use disorders. Identification of factors related to this very early risk indicator can help inform early prevention efforts. This study prospectively examined the relationship between childhood adversities and early initiation of alcohol use (by age 14) among Puerto Rican youth, the Latino subgroup at highest risk for alcohol use disorders in adulthood. The data come from the Boricua Youth Study, a longitudinal study of Puerto Rican youth in two sites (South Bronx, New York and the standard metropolitan area of San Juan, Puerto Rico). We focus on youth who were ages 10 and older at Wave 1 [Mage at Wave 1 (SE) = 11.64(0.05), N = 1,259, 48.85% females]. Twelve childhood adversities were measured at Wave 1 and include 10 adverse childhood experiences commonly studied and two additional ones (exposure to violence and discrimination) that were deemed relevant for this study’s population. Early initiation of alcohol use was determined based on youth report at Waves 1 through 3 (each wave one year apart). Cox proportional hazards models showed that, when considered individually, adversities reflecting child maltreatment, parental maladjustment, and sociocultural stressors were related to early initiation of alcohol use. Significant gender interactions were identified for parental emotional problems and exposure to violence, with associations found among girls only. Adversities often co-occurred, and when they were considered jointly, physical and emotional abuse, parental antisocial personality, and exposure to violence had independent associations with early alcohol use, with a stronger influence of exposure to violence in girls compared to boys. The accumulation of adversities, regardless of the specific type of exposure, increased the risk for starting to drink at a young age in a linear way. The associations between childhood adversities and early alcohol use were generally consistent across sociocultural contexts, in spite of differences in the prevalence of exposure to adversity. Our findings highlight the importance of targeting multiple adversities and expanding the notion of adversity to capture the experiences of specific groups more adequately.

Family Structure and History of Childhood Trauma: Associations With Risk-Taking Behavior Among Adolescents in Swaziland

“…These findings coincide with arguments from criminological theories such as general strain theory ( 40 ), which holds that recent adversities are more likely to be associated with maladaptive behavior such as delinquency, substance abuse, or criminal behavior because victims are using these methods to cope with traumatic stress. Furthermore, several past and present studies validate the study results that exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACE) subsequently leads to the adoption of smoking ( 41 ) and early alcohol use among adolescents ( 42 ). Also, an alarming rate of suicide attempts ( 43 ) and non-suicidal self-harm (NSSH) is attributed to early childhood trauma ( 44 ).…”

Childhood adversities and 5-HTTLPR polymorphism as risk factors of substance use disorders: retrospective case-control study in Murcia (Spain)

“…Our finding that exposure to CAs increases the risk of SUDs in adults is consistent with the existing literature. Exposure to CAs has been associated with the increased risk of addictive behaviours, both in youth47 and in adulthood 48. This risk seems to be non-specific as the exposure to CAs also increases the risk of other mental disorders40 49–54 as well as the risk of other non-psychiatric conditions, such as diabetes, asthma and cardiovascular disease 55–59.…”

Substance abuse: a relationship with childhood traumas

“…Предполагается [7], что формирование подверженности алкоголизму (равно как и другие аддиктивные расстройства) под влиянием травм детства включает влияние собственно стресса, который способствует раннему приобщению к алкоголю, что в свою очередь повышает риск зависимости от алкоголя в более поздние возрастные периоды.…”

“…По некоторым данным, риск возникновения аддиктивных расстройств (в частности, злоупотребление алкоголем) в связи с домашним насилием в большей степени проявляется у девочек, чем у мальчиков [7], что, возможно, отражает более высокую степень психической уязвимости первых в сравнении со вторыми.…”

“…Степень подверженности злоупотреблению ПАВ под влиянием стрессов детского возраста в значительной мере коррелирует с уровнем социального неблагополучия и более выражено в дискриминируемых социальных и этнических группах; так, в Пуэрто-Рико максимальная частота раннего начала употребления алкоголя в связи с домашним насилием была отмечена [7] у латиноамериканского населения.…”