Impulsivity as a mechanism linking child abuse and neglect with substance use in adolescence and adulthood

Abstract

Emerging developmental perspectives suggest that adverse rearing environments promote neurocognitive adaptations that heighten impulsivity and increase vulnerability to risky behavior. Although studies document links between harsh rearing environments and impulsive behavior on substance use, the developmental hypothesis that impulsivity acts as mechanism linking adverse rearing environments to downstream substance use remains to be investigated. The present study investigated the role of impulsivity in linking child abuse and neglect with adult substance use using data from (a) a longitudinal sample of youth (Study 1, N = 9,421) and (b) a cross-sectional sample of adults (Study 2, N = 1,011). In Study 1, the links between child abuse and neglect and young adult smoking and marijuana use were mediated by increases in adolescent impulsivity. In Study 2, indirect links between child abuse and neglect and substance use were evidenced via delayed reward discounting and impulsivity traits. Among impulsivity subcomponents, robust indirect effects connecting childhood experiences to cigarette use emerged for negative urgency. Negative urgency, positive urgency, and sensation seeking mediated the effect of child abuse and neglect on cannabis and alcohol use. Results suggest that child abuse and neglect increases risk for substance use in part, due to effects on impulsivity. Individuals with adverse childhood experiences may benefit from substance use preventive intervention programs that target impulsive behaviors.

Early Life Stress and Substance Use Disorders: Underlying Neurobiology and Pathways to Adverse Outcomes

“…However, other studies have identified additional dimensions of impulsivity that also mediate the relationship between ELS and substance use. For instance, Oshri, Kogan, Kwon, Wickrama, Vanderbroek, Palmer, et al, (2018) found that negative urgency, positive urgency (the tendency to be impulsive in the face of positive emotions), and sensation seeking all mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and alcohol and cannabis use (Oshri et al, 2018). Ramakrishnan, McPhee, Sosnowski, Rajasingaam, and Erb (2019) found positive urgency to partially mediate the relationship between ELS and substance-related problems (Ramakrishnan et al, 2019).…”

Socioeconomic hardship and delayed reward discounting: Associations with working memory and emotional reactivity

“…Moreover, within scarce and less stable environments, impoverished individuals may resort to more immediate and available, as opposed to delayed, resources, even if waiting is expected to yield greater rewards ( Frankenhuis et al, 2016 ; Lipina and Posner, 2012b ). Although the associations between early life stress secondary to SH and impulsive decision-making are well established by behavioral research ( Lovallo et al, 2018 , 2013 ; Oshri et al, 2017 ), there have been no multi-method investigations (i.e., survey, behavioral, and neuroimaging methods) to specify the etiological mechanisms that link SH and DRD.…”

Child maltreatment types and adolescent substance use: The role of deviant peer affiliation

“…Based on the well-established connection between child maltreatment and adolescent substance use, several studies have investigated the underlying mechanisms that link child maltreatment and adolescent substance use. The underlying mechanisms examined in these studies include internalizing behaviour problems (Duprey, Oshri, & Caughy, 2017;Oshri et al, 2017), externalizing behaviour problems (Yoon, Kobulsky, Yoon, & Kim, 2017;Handley, Rogosch, & Cicchetti, 2015), and attachment (Oshri, Sutton, Clay-Warner, & Miller, 2015). Although such studies have provided valuable information about distinct mechanisms that underlie the connection between child maltreatment and adolescent substance use, they have been limited in that they primarily focused on individual-or family-level mediators and did not consider peer-or school-level mediators.…”