Childhood Maltreatment and Substance Use Disorders among Men and Women in a Nationally Representative Sample

Abstract

Objective: To examine the association between a history of 5 types of childhood maltreatment (that is, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, physical neglect, and emotional neglect) and several substance use disorders (SUDs), including alcohol, sedatives, tranquilizers, opioids, amphetamines, cannabis, cocaine, hallucinogens, heroin, and nicotine, in a nationally representative US adult sex-stratified sample.Method: Data were drawn from the National Epidemiologic Survey of Alcohol and Related Conditions (NESARC), a nationally representative US sample of adults aged 20 years and older (n = 34 653). Logistic regression models were conducted to understand the relations between 5 types of childhood maltreatment and SUDs separately among men and women after adjusting for sociodemographic variables and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) Axis I and II mental disorders.Results: All 5 types of childhood maltreatment were associated with increased odds of all individual SUDs among men and women after adjusting for sociodemographic variables, with the exception of physical neglect and heroin abuse or dependence, emotional neglect, and amphetamines and cocaine abuse or dependence among men (adjusted odds ratio range 1.3 to 4.7). After further adjustment for other DSM Axis I and II mental disorders, the relations between childhood maltreatment and SUDs were attenuated, but many remained statistically significant. Differences in the patterns of findings were noted for men and women for sexual abuse and emotional neglect. Conclusions:This research provides evidence of the robust nature of the relations between many types of childhood maltreatment and many individual SUDs. The prevention of childhood maltreatment may help to reduce SUDs in the general population.

Gender differences in lifetime psychiatric and substance use disorders among people who use substances in Barcelona, Spain

“…Potential explanations for these gender differences have include that women who use substances have often (Afifi et al, 2012;Choo et al, 2014;Verona et al, 2015;Gilchrist et al, 2015) which may contribute to the higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders.…”

Adverse childhood experiences and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among adolescents of a Brazilian birth cohort

“…Other studies have also shown that being exposed to several adversities during childhood, particularly different types of violence, abuse and conflict with the parents, increases the risk of substance use in adolescence and/or adulthood 11,12,14,17,18 . The dose-response effect found in this and other studies can be linked to a number of factors that may explain the substance use.…”

“…Although life experiences during childhood are not the only factors responsible for the greater risk for substance use, they can play a key role that deserves to be studied 11,12,13,14,15 . The occurrence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) has been related to a higher risk of substance use among adolescents and adults 11,12,13,14,15,16,17 . The ACEs are sources of stress that people may experience early in life, usually before the age of 18, which include multiple types of abuse (physical, sexual, and psychological), neglect, and several sorts of family dysfunction 18,19 .…”

“…Many types of ACEs have been described to be associated with the beginning and continued consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs during adolescence 2,4,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,20,21 . Some evidence for higher risk of substance use has been found for parental divorce, neglect, domestic violence, physical abuse, sexual abuse, a poor relationship or lack of communication with parents, family background of drug addiction, and unstructured families 2,4,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,20,21 . The association between ACEs and substance use can differ according to gender 13,22 , and females may have a higher risk than males 13 .…”

Childhood maltreatment and its impact on the mental health

“…В целом ряде других исследований [21][22][23][24] была уста-новлена связь между травмами детского возраста и упо-треблением наркотиков.…”