Child abuse increases risk of addiction in adulthood
He child abuse It causes, among other things, physical and mental health problems that can last a lifetime, including addiction problems. However, this is often hidden, and only a proportion of victims receive support from health professionals.
New research published this week in the journal addictionanalyzes long term consequences of this abuse and neglect among children under 16 years of age.
A study led by Claudia Bullfrom the University of Queensland, Australia, used data on more than 6,000 babies born at Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1983. 10% of these children (609 children) had at least one report of child maltreatment (reported or confirmed) before age 15.
Thus, compared to the rest of the children, these 609 children had 2.86 times more likely to be hospitalized for alcohol use and 3.34 times more likely to be hospitalized for substance use at 40 years old.
“These types of disorders are incredibly costly to societies around the world. Understanding the extent to which they are associated with a history of child maltreatment can inform prevention and early intervention strategies aimed at reducing its prevalence,” Bull explains to SINC.
Hospitalization
Probability hospitalization The rate was more than three times higher among people who received more than two reports of agency-reported abuse for both alcohol use disorder and substance use disorder.
Violence was defined as “reported” when notifications from a competent authority were received during the person’s childhood. Child Protective Services upgraded the category to “proven” in cases where there were reasonable grounds to believe that the child was, had been, or was likely to be a victim.
“Our findings suggest that to treat and prevent these disorders in people who have been abused, it is necessary to address their consequences and root causes. Personalized intervention and support will also be important for better understand and respond to your needs“, adds the first author.
An indelible mark of violence
The study also divided childhood abuse into physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. The odds of hospitalization for alcohol use disorders were higher (3.48 times higher) for people who received substantiated reports of sexual abuse before age 16.
Similarly, the risk of hospitalization for substance use disorders was higher (3.10 times higher) for people who received reports of emotional abuse before age 16.
“Most previous research on childhood adversity and alcohol and substance use disorders has focused on physical and sexual abuse. As we suspected, the odds are comparable across all subtypes of abuse and neglect during this period,” says Bull.
Despite the serious findings, the researcher argues that it is likely that the notifications child abuse Child protection services significantly underestimate the true prevalence of the problem.
“The reports in this study did not include people with undiagnosed or untreated disorders, or those receiving outpatient and community care. Moreover, they reflect practices from the 1980s and 1990s that may represent a further decline in the true prevalence and bias against marginalized populations and ethnic minorities,” he concludes.
Link:
Bull S. et al.: Association between childhood maltreatment and hospitalization for alcohol and other substance use disorders before age 40: Findings from the Childhood Adversities and Lifetime Morbidity Study.. addiction 2024