Gender‐Moderated Pathways From Childhood Abuse and Neglect to Late‐Adolescent Substance Use

Abstract

Substantial research has linked childhood maltreatment to the development of substance use in adolescence. However, gender differences in the mechanisms that connect child abuse and neglect to substance use remain unclear. In this study, we applied multiple‐group structural equation modeling in a sample of 1,161 youths (boys, n = 552; girls, n = 609) from the Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) to examine gender differences in the associations between childhood abuse and neglect exposure from ages 0–12 years and substance use severity at age 18 as mediated by early substance use at age 14 and psychological symptoms (anger, anxiety, and depression) at age 16. In both genders, neglect directly predicted substance use severity, β = .25, p < .001 for boys and β = .17, p = .007 for girls; and early substance use, β = .03, p = .002 for boys and β = .06, p = .005 for girls; and anger mediated this association, β = .10, p < .001 for boys and β = .06, p = .005 for girls. Anger mediated paths from abuse in boys, β = .06, p = .018. In girls, early substance use mediated the path from abuse to substance use severity, β = .06, p = .008, with the mediated effect and direct path from abuse to early substance use significantly moderated by gender. For substance use severity, R2 = .26 for girls and R2 = .27 for boys. These findings demonstrate the prominence of neglect in predicting substance use severity and gender differences in paths from abuse.

The roles of child maltreatment and fathers in the development of substance use in an at-risk sample of youth: A longitudinal study

“…Contrary to some past research (Kobulsky et al, 2016;Kobulsky et al, 2018b;Proctor et al 2017;Snyder & Smith 2014), physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect were not associated with substance use initiation or its progression. Relationships between physical abuse and substance use appear to be more consistent in later than earlier adolescence (Strathearn et al, 2020) and to vary by substance type (Proctor et al, 2017;Strathearn et al, 2020) and gender (Kobulsky 2017;Strathearn et al, 2020); all are possible explanations for null findings.…”

Targets for intervention to prevent substance use in young people exposed to childhood adversity: A systematic review

“…Anger was found to mediate the effect of childhood adversity on substance use [ 27 , 40 ] and problem drinking [ 39 ]. All instances found ACEs to be positively associated with anger, which was positively associated with substance use outcomes.…”

“…Results further highlight the importance of addressing anger, PTSS, and suicidal ideation. Anger was associated with increased substance use and problematic use, demonstrating some of the largest mediated effects [ 27 , 39 , 40 ]. Importantly, anger is associated with poorer substance use treatment outcomes [ 90 ], as well as comorbid mental health problems in those with substance use disorders [ 91 ].…”

Adolescent Neglect and Health Risk

“…Internationally, neglect prevalence figures vary widely, ranging from 9% in Sweden to 94% in Burundi (Kobulsky et al, 2020). Rigorous studies from diverse samples have associated neglect with a wide range of health risk behaviors and psychosocial problems throughout the lifespan, including internalizing and externalizing problems (Maguire et al, 2015; Naughton et al, 2017; Vachon et al, 2015), suicidality (Norman et al, 2012; Vanderminden et al, 2019), substance use (Dubowitz et al, 2019; Kobulsky et al, 2018; Strathearn et al, 2020), sexual risk behavior (Naughton et al, 2017; Norman et al, 2012; Strathearn et al, 2020), and delinquency (Ryan et al, 2013).…”