Examining the role of psychological distress in linking childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in young adulthood

Abstract

Background and Objectives Childhood maltreatment is related to alcohol use as well as psychological distress in young adulthood. Few studies have examined whether psychological distress mediates the relationship between child maltreatment and alcohol use. We examined the role of psychological distress in linking child maltreatment subtypes (ie, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) to four patterns of alcohol use, including frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and alcohol dependence. Methods We used a community sample of young adults (N=337), who completed an interview assessing exposure to childhood maltreatment, current psychological distress, and drinking behaviors. Results Emotional abuse was associated with psychological distress, whereas psychological distress was related to more pathological drinking behaviors such as alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence. Subsequent analyses indicated significant mediated effects between emotional abuse and alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence via psychological distress, even after controlling for demographic factors, other maltreatment subtypes, parental alcoholism, and peer alcohol use. Conclusions and Scientific Significance Findings suggest that among four types of childhood maltreatment, emotional abuse might be the major driver of pathological drinking among child maltreatment victims. Interventions aimed at negative emotionality may be useful in preventing and treating problematic drinking among the victims of childhood emotional abuse.

Effect of childhood adversities on alcohol problems is mainly mediated by depression

“…In treatment‐seeking alcohol‐dependent subjects, childhood trauma, emotional abuse in particular, was found to influence severity of alcohol dependency, and the effect was mediated by neuroticism . In a large pooled sample, the effect of childhood (sexual or physical) abuse and exposure to violent crime on substance dependency was mediated via mood and anxiety disorders, while in a population study, significant mediated effects were found between emotional abuse and alcohol‐related problems via psychological distress . In the present population study, the effects of all five CAT domains on alcohol problems were mainly mediated via depressive symptoms.…”

“…In today's CAT literature, emotional (EmoAb) and physical abuse (PhyAB), emotional (EmoNeg) and physical neglect (PhyNeg), and sexual abuse (SexAb) are generally regarded as core CAT domains . However, few studies related to alcohol dependence and only one population study of APs have considered all five CAT domains, and even fewer gender differences concurrently. However, CAT and their effects on suicidal thoughts and behaviour, for example, may vary by gender, and be mediated via mental problems, depression in particular; thus, analyzing gender differences and associations in females and males separately are justified as suggested by Miller et al…”

“…CAT experiences have also been associated with adult depressive disorders and symptoms . In studies, effects of various adverse childhood experiences on substance abuse have been found to be mediated by psychiatric disorders, particularly by depression, as well as by neuroticism and distress. It is generally found that depression is more prevalent in females than in males .…”

The Impact of Childhood Maltreatment on Age of Onset of Alcohol Use Disorder in Women

“…Multiple traumas gave no further explanation to the variance of age of onset in the multiple regression analyses. Childhood emotional abuse may be related to psychological distress, which in turn, can be further associated with pathological drinking outcomes such as AD [38], although this was not investigated further in this study. Consistent with previous research, we also found that childhood sexual abuse was associated with an earlier age of onset of AUD [14,22].…”

Validation of the AUDIT Scale and Factors Associated with Alcohol Use Disorder in Adolescents: Results of a National Lebanese Study

“…although AUD and smoking usually co-occur, studies showed that smoker adolescents have a higher vulnerability to AUDs 7,8 . Other factors include internet addiction 9,10 , social anxiety 11 , child abuse 12-suggested that among the four forms of childhood maltreatment, emotional abuse could be the main driver of pathological drinking among victims of child abuse 14 .…”