#Child #abuse #increases #risk #addiction #adulthood
He child abuse It generates, among others, physical and mental health problems that can last a lifetime, including addiction problems. However, it is often hidden and only a portion of affected people receive support from health professionals.
And new studypublished this week in the magazine Addictionanalyzes the long term consequences of these abuses and neglect in children under 16 years of age.
The research, led by Claudia Bullfrom the University of Queensland, Australia, used data on more than 6,000 children born at the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane, Australia, between 1981 and 1983. 10% of these children (609 children) had at least one report of abuse child (reported or corroborated) up to 15 years of age.
Thus, compared to the rest of the children, those 609 children had 2.86 times more likely to be admitted to hospital for alcohol use and 3.34 times more likely for substance use at 40 years old.
“These types of disorders are incredibly costly for societies around the world. “Understanding the extent to which they are associated with a history of child abuse can serve as a basis for prevention strategies and early interventions aimed at reducing their occurrence,” tells SINC Bull.
Hospital admissions
The probability of hospitalization It was more than three times higher among people who had more than two agency-reported reports of abuse, for both alcohol use disorders and substance use disorders.
Abuse was defined as ‘reported’ when there were related notices from a competent body during a person’s childhood. Child protective services raised the category to ‘proven’ in cases where there were reasonable grounds to believe that the child had been, was being or was likely to be a victim.
“Our results suggest that, to treat and prevent these types of disorders in individuals with a history of abuse, it is necessary to address their consequences and root causes. Personalized interventions and support will also be essential to better understand and respond to your needs”, adds the first author.
The indelible mark of abuse
The study also subdivided childhood abuse into physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. The likelihood of hospital admission for an alcohol use disorder was higher (3.48 times more likely) in people who had received substantiated reports of sexual abuse before age 16.
Likewise, the risk of hospital admission for a substance use disorder was higher (3.10 times more likely) for people with agency-reported notifications for 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 subtypes of abuse and neglect during this period,” says Bull.
Despite the serious results, the researcher maintains that it is likely that the notifications of child abuse child protective 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. Furthermore, they reflect practices in the 1980s to 1990s, which may present a further downgrade of the true prevalence and bias against marginalized populations and ethnic minorities,” he concludes.
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