Childhood maltreatment and the risk of substance problems in later life

Abstract

This paper examines the risk of developing problems in adolescence and adulthood, particularly those associated with substance use, as a consequence of experiencing physical or sexual abuse during childhood. We review both retrospective and prospective research, conducted with both adolescent and adult respondents. Although there are some marked discrepancies in the findings from retrospective and prospective studies, these are probably due to differences in methodology, particularly between using official records and self-report to identify cases of abuse. Despite the wide range of methodologies and samples used in these studies, most indicate that the experience of childhood abuse is a risk factor for a number of common mental disorders in adolescence and adulthood, including alcohol and drug-related problems. In many cases, the experience of abuse appears to lead in later life to increased feelings of depression and anxiety which, while not sufficient to result in the diagnosis of a mental health disorder, place the victims at greater risk of developing substance problems. Multivariate studies indicate that this positive association remains even when controlling for important variables such as the presence of parental alcohol problems. The paper concludes with a number of recommendations for future research, so that it can be established whether the risk arises specifically from child abuse or neglect, or from the more general impact on child development of adverse family relationships.

A Longitudinal Study of the Correlates of Persistent Smoking Among Sexual Minority Women

“…Victimization and poorer mental health have been shown to increase the risk of tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use (Downs & Harrison, 1998;Harrison, Fulkerson, & Beebe, 1997;Schuck, 2001;Simpson & Miller, 2002). Studies suggest that SMW report higher rates of victimization and poor mental health (Bostwick, Boyd, Hughes, & McCabe, 2010) than do heterosexual women.…”

“…SMW are also known to have increased exposure to risk factors for tobacco use, such as childhood victimization and poorer mental health Herek, 2009;Jun et al, 2010). These same predictors, however, also increase the probability of reporting both alcohol and other illicit drug use, which often co-occur with smoking behaviors (Downs & Harrison, 1998;Simpson & Miller, 2002). Research has shown that persons who report the use of multiple substances are less likely to successfully quit smoking (Metrik, Spillane, Leventhal, & Kahler, 2011;Stapleton, Keaney, & Sutherland, 2009).…”

Psychological Risk Markers in Violent Female Behavior

“…The linkage between adverse childhood experiences and later adjustment difficulties has been widely documented (Brodsky et al, 2001;Downs & Harrison, 1998;Hill et al, 2001;Johnson et al, 2002;Kendler et al, 2000;Lewis et al, 1991;MacMillan et al, 2001;Mullen, Romans-Clarkson, Walton, & Herbison, 1988;Sansone, Sansone, & Wiederman, 1995;Schuck & Widom, 2001;Weiss, Longhurst, & Mazure, 1999). These studies indicate that childhood abuse and neglect increase the risk for psychopathology, and may predispose women to adult-onset depression and substance misuse.…”

The relationship between physical maltreatment and substance use among adolescents: A survey of 95,788 adolescents in Hong Kong

“…Of the published studies investigating the associations between physical child abuse and drug abuse, the majority are cross-sectional or retrospective in design [2,4,[15][16][17]. Moreover, most of the published studies are not population based [17][18][19][20][21][22]. Owing to the relatively low prevalence of these two types of behaviors, a large sample size is required to control for potential confounders, such as sociodemographic background [18], academic attainment [14], and family relationships [18].…”