Child abuse and neglect: Relations to adolescent binge drinking in the national longitudinal study of Adolescent Health (AddHealth) Study
Introduction
Adolescent binge drinking, typically defined as the consumption of five or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion at least once every 2 weeks (Johnston, O'Malley, & Bachman, 2002), is a major public health problem. The National Survey on Drug Use and Health (SAMHSA, 2007) found that among the 10.8 million underage drinkers aged 12 to 20 in 2005, nearly one-fifth (18.8%) were binge drinkers with more males (21.3%) than females (16.1%) reporting participated in heavy episodic drinking in the past 12 months. Not only is adolescent binge drinking prevalent, but excessive consumption of alcohol by adolescents has been associated with a host of immediate and long-term adverse outcomes including obesity and high blood pressure (Oesterle et al., 2004), neurobehavioral and cognitive symptoms (e.g., headaches, difficulty concentrating, trouble remembering, trouble learning; Brook et al., 2002, Scheier and Botvin, 1995), unwanted and unprotected sexual activity (Fergusson and Lynskey, 1996, Smart, 1996, Thakker, 1998), unsafe driving practices and motor vehicle crashes (Copeland, Shope, & Waller, 1996; Oesterle et al., 2004, Zakrajsek and Shope, 2006), poor academic attainment (Hill, White, Chung, Hawkins, & Catalano, 2000), and adult alcohol disorder (Schulenberg et al., 1996).
Since adolescent binge drinking occurs in an extraordinary period when adolescents experience dramatic changes in their bodies, affects, and social environment, a successful examination of adolescent binge drinking must take into account not only excessive drinking itself but its developmental contexts. The first Call to Action against youth alcohol problems made by the Surgeon General stressed that if underage drinking is to be reduced and prevented, it must be understood in its developmental contexts including individual, family, and environmental influences (US DHHS, 2007). Understanding the effects of adverse childhood experiences such as child abuse and neglect on adolescent binge drinking is one example.
Childhood maltreatment has been linked to alcohol abuse and dependence among an adult population (Anda et al., 2002, Dube et al., 2002). In adult literature, a relatively large body of studies has reported that child maltreatment increases an individual's risk for alcohol abuse, although current evidence is not sufficient to support this relationship among male adults who had been victims of childhood maltreatment (Dube et al., 2002, Widom and Hiller-Sturmhofel, 2001). However, few studies have examined the effect of childhood victimization on adolescent binge drinking. Examination of this association is important for understanding the common pattern of alcohol consumption among adolescents with child abuse and neglect. In addition, although researchers and practitioners have long been aware of the co-occurrence of different types of maltreatment on an individual (Banyard, 1999, Bensley et al., 1999 Felitti et al., 1998; McCauley et al., 1997; McGee, Wolfe, Yuen, Wilson, & Carnochan, 1995; Rorty, Yager, & Rossotto, 1994), researchers have rarely examined the joint effect of the co-occurrence of multiple categories of maltreatment on adolescent binge drinking.
Using a nationally representative community sample of adolescents, the current study examines the relations between multiple forms of childhood maltreatment and adolescent binge drinking. The present study will contribute to knowledge about: (1) whether childhood maltreatment is a risk factor for adolescent binge drinking; and (2) how the co-occurrence of multiple categories of maltreatment influences heavy episodic drinking in adolescence.
Section snippets
Participants
The Add Health is a national longitudinal study that explored the influence of social environment on health in adolescence (grades 7 through 12). The first wave of data collection was conducted in 1995 with 20,745 adolescents completing in-home interviews (79% response rate). Of these 20,745 adolescents, 18,255 (88%) were interviewed at Wave II in 1996, and 15,197 (73%) were interviewed at Wave III in 2002. The present study uses the 12,748 respondents who were interviewed at all three waves
Prevalence of adolescent binge drinking
Table 1 shows the sample characteristics and prevalence of binge drinking. Slightly over one-tenth (11%) consumed five or more drinks in a row at least 2–3 times per month. Adolescents who had been maltreated in childhood were more likely to report binge drinking (12.4%) than those who had not been maltreated (9.9%).
Childhood maltreatment and adolescent binge drinking
First, using logistic regression analysis, the association between exposure to any maltreatment and adolescent binge drinking was examined, controlling for sociodemographic
Discussion
Research studies identifying risks for adolescent binge drinking have found a myriad of contributors ranging from genetic influences to environmental risk factors (Enoch, 2006). The current study found that childhood maltreatment is a robust risk factor for adolescent binge drinking. However, when the traditional method of maltreatment classification, where an individual is classified as ever experiencing one type of maltreatment, was used, childhood maltreatment was not associated with
Acknowledgment
This study is supported by National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA) Grant P60 AA013759. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIAAA or the NIH. This research used data from Add Health, a program project designed by J. Richard Udry, Peter S. Bearman, and Kathleen Mullan Harris and funded by a grant from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (P01-HD31921), with cooperative
References (28)
- et al.
Drug use and neurobehavioral, respiratory, and cognitive problems: Precursors and mediators
Journal of Adolescent Health
(2002) - et al.
Adverse childhood experiences and personal alcohol abuse as an adult
Addictive Behaviors
(2002) Psychosocial adjustment of adult children of alcoholics: A review of the recent empirical literature
Clinical Psychology Review
(2000)- et al.
What's in a name? A comparison of methods for classifying predominant type of maltreatment
Child Abuse & Neglect
(2005) - et al.
The measurement of maltreatment: A comparison of approaches
Child Abuse & Neglect
(1995) - et al.
Effects of early adolescent drug use on cognitive efficacy in early–late adolescence: A developmental structural model
Journal of Substance Abuse
(1995) - et al.
Longitudinal examination of underage drinking and subsequent drinking and risky driving
Journal of Safety Research
(2006) - et al.
Adverse childhood experiences, alcoholic parents, and later risk of alcoholism and depression
Psychiatric Services
(2002) Childhood maltreatment and the mental health of low-income women
American Journal of Orthopsychiatry
(1999)- et al.
Self-reported abuse history and adolescent problem behaviors: I. antisocial and suicidal behaviors
Journal of Adolescent Health
(1999)
Factors in adolescent drinking and driving: Binge drinking, cigarette smoking, and gender
Journal of School Health
Genetic and environmental influences on the development of alcoholism. Resilience vs. risk
Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences
Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
Alcohol misuse and adolescent sexual behaviors and risk taking
Pediatrics
Cited by (130)
The role of interpersonal trauma and substance use in mental health: A large population-based study
2024, Psychiatry ResearchSex differences in addiction-relevant behavioral outcomes in rodents following early life stress
2023, Addiction NeuroscienceAssociations of childhood maltreatment with binge eating and binge drinking in emerging adult women
2023, Preventive Medicine ReportsEarly life stress and substance use disorders: The critical role of adolescent substance use
2022, Pharmacology Biochemistry and BehaviorChild maltreatment and incident mental disorders in middle and older ages: a retrospective UK Biobank cohort study
2021, The Lancet Regional Health - EuropeLongitudinal effects of adverse childhood experiences on substance use transition patterns during young adulthood
2021, Child Abuse and Neglect