Does child maltreatment predict alcohol use disorders in young adulthood? A cohort study of linked notifications and survey data
Open accessAbstract
Background and aims: Most studies of the association between child maltreatment and subsequent problem alcohol use are retrospective. We studied the association of prospectively substantiated child maltreatment with problem alcohol use in adulthood. Design: We used a prospective cohort record linkage correlational design using data from a statutory child protection agency of prospectively substantiated child maltreatment linked to a birth cohort from a major metropolitan maternity hospital. Setting: The Mater‐University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy in Brisbane, Australia. Participants: Of the 3762 young people at the 21‐year follow‐up, 169 (4.5%) had a history of substantiated maltreatment by 16 years. This was most commonly emotional abuse (n = 90). Measurements: The main outcome was heavy alcohol use at the 21‐year follow‐up, defined as four or more standard drinks per day. Secondary outcomes were life‐time and 12‐month diagnoses of alcohol use disorders in 2531 participants who completed the Composite International Diagnostic Interview‐auto (CIDI‐auto) version. Predictor variables were physical, sexual and emotional abuse, as well as neglect. Findings: At follow‐up, 407 of the 3762 participants reported heavy alcohol use (10.8%). On adjusted analyses, participants who had experienced emotional abuse were significantly more likely to report heavy alcohol use at the time of interview (adjusted odds ratio = 1.856; 95% confidence interval = 1.038–3.319; P = 0.037). Neglect was associated with a life‐time CIDI diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder. Other types of child maltreatment were not significantly associated with any of the outcomes. Conclusions: Prospectively identified experience of childhood emotional abuse and neglect appears to be positively associated with problem alcohol use at age 21.
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ACEs are linked not only with SUD onset, but also with broader emotional and interpersonal dysregulation.
“This aligns with findings that ACEs are linked not only with SUD onset, but also with broader emotional and interpersonal dysregulation [4, 6].”
From The link of adverse childhood experiences and attachment to maladaptive personality traits in adults diagnosed with substance use disorder (2025) · cites this paper as [6]
A prospective study showed that emotional abuse was associated with heavy drinking and emotional neglect with AUD at 21 years of age, and emotional and physical abuse predicted AUD at 30 years of age.
“A prospective study showed that emotional abuse was associated with heavy drinking and emotional neglect with AUD at 21 years of age [18], and emotional and physical abuse predicted AUD at 30 years of age [47].”
From Associations of childhood trauma with long-term diseases and alcohol and nicotine use disorders in Czech and Slovak representative samples (2022) · cites this paper as [18]
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- Authors
- Kisely, S., Mills, R., Strathearn, L., & Najman, J. M.
- Affiliations
- The University of Queensland (AU)
- University of Iowa (US)
- Corresponding author
- Kisely, Steve
- Venue
- Addiction
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2019-10-18
- Volume
- 115
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 61-68
- ISSN
- 0965-2140 (ISSN-L)
- 1360-0443
- OpenAlex
- W2970347639
- Cited by
- 50
- References
- 30
- Citations by year
- 2026: 6 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 9 · 2022: 7 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 7
- FWCI
- 5.55
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- hdl.handle.net
- Licence
- Locations
- Addiction (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Griffith Research Online (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Child Abuse and Trauma
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
- Social Sciences › Safety Research › Child Welfare and Adoption
- Keywords
- child abuse, alcoholism, heavy alcohol use, emotional abuse, child neglect, early adulthood, prospective cohort, child protection notifications
- MeSH terms
- Emotional Abuse, Adolescent, Alcoholism, Australia, Child, Child Abuse, Female, Humans, Male, Pregnancy, Prospective Studies, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Adult Survivors of Child Abuse, Young Adult
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