scholarly journals Adverse Childhood Experiences Predict Early Initiation of Opioid Use Behaviors

2021 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honoria Guarino ◽  
Pedro Mateu-Gelabert ◽  
Kelly Quinn ◽  
Skultip Sirikantraporn ◽  
Kelly V. Ruggles ◽  
...  

Introduction: Although a substantial body of research documents a relationship between traumatic stress in childhood and the initiation of substance use later in the life course, only limited research has examined potential linkages between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the initiation of non-medical prescription opioid use and other opioid use behaviors. The present study contributes to this growing body of work by investigating the association of childhood trauma with early initiation of a series of opioid use behaviors.Methods: New York City young adults (n = 539) ages 18–29 who reported non-medical use of prescription opioids or heroin use in the past 30 days were recruited using Respondent-Driven Sampling in 2014–16. Ten ACEs were assessed via self-report with the ACE Questionnaire. Associations between number of ACEs and self-reported ages of initiating seven opioid use behaviors (e.g., non-medical prescription opioid use, heroin use, heroin injection) were estimated with multivariable logistic regression.Results: Eighty nine percent of participants reported at least one ACE, and 46% reported four or more ACEs, a well-supported threshold indicating elevated risk for negative health consequences. Every increase of one trauma was associated with a 12–23% increase in odds of early initiation across the seven opioid use behaviors. Findings also document that the mean age at initiation increased with increasing risk severity across the behaviors, contributing to evidence of a trajectory from opioid pill misuse to opioid injection.Discussion: Increasing number of childhood traumas was associated with increased odds of earlier initiation of multiple opioid misuse behaviors. In light of prior research linking earlier initiation of substance use with increased substance use severity, present findings suggest the importance of ACEs as individual-level determinants of increased opioid use severity. Efforts to prevent onset and escalation of opioid use among at-risk youth may benefit from trauma prevention programs and trauma-focused screening and treatment, as well as increased attention to ameliorating upstream socio-structural drivers of childhood trauma.

2011 ◽  
Vol 42 (6) ◽  
pp. 1261-1272 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. S. Martins ◽  
M. C. Fenton ◽  
K. M. Keyes ◽  
C. Blanco ◽  
H. Zhu ◽  
...  

BackgroundNon-medical use of prescription opioids represents a national public health concern of growing importance. Mood and anxiety disorders are highly associated with non-medical prescription opioid use. The authors examined longitudinal associations between non-medical prescription opioid use and opioid disorder due to non-medical opioid use and mood/anxiety disorders in a national sample, examining evidence for precipitation, self-medication and general shared vulnerability as pathways between disorders.MethodData were drawn from face-to-face surveys of 34 653 adult participants in waves 1 and 2 of the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. Logistic regression models explored the temporal sequence and evidence for the hypothesized pathways.ResultsBaseline lifetime non-medical prescription opioid use was associated with incidence of any mood disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD), bipolar disorder, any anxiety disorder and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD in wave 2, adjusted for baseline demographics, other substance use, and co-morbid mood/anxiety disorders). Lifetime opioid disorder was not associated with any incident mood/anxiety disorders. All baseline lifetime mood disorders and GAD were associated with incident non-medical prescription opioid use at follow-up, adjusted for demographics, co-morbid mood/anxiety disorders, and other substance use. Baseline lifetime mood disorders, MDD, dysthymia and panic disorder were associated with incident opioid disorder due to non-medical prescription opioid use at follow-up, adjusted for the same covariates.ConclusionsThese results suggest that precipitation, self-medication as well as shared vulnerability are all viable pathways between non-medical prescription opioid use and opioid disorder due to non-medical opioid use and mood/anxiety disorders.


2021 ◽  
Vol 117 ◽  
pp. 105072
Author(s):  
Adam Oei ◽  
Chi Meng Chu ◽  
Dongdong Li ◽  
Nyx Ng ◽  
Carl Yeo ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
pp. 108936
Author(s):  
Carolina Villamil Grest ◽  
Julie A. Cederbaum ◽  
Jungeun Olivia Lee ◽  
Jennifer B. Unger

2021 ◽  
pp. 073112142110187
Author(s):  
Haley Stritzel

Both adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and peer influences consistently predict early tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drug use. However, less research considers how peer and community influences contribute to or modify the association between ACEs and early substance use. This study addresses these gaps in the literature by analyzing multilevel, longitudinal data from the Project on Human Development in Chicago Neighborhoods (PHDCN; N = 1,912). Unstructured socializing and peer substance use largely explained the association between ACEs and drinking, smoking cigarettes, and illicit drug use in the past month. A history of ACEs magnified the association between peer substance use and the number of cigarettes smoked. Collective efficacy also shaped the associations between peer influences, ACEs, and substance use, but in different ways depending on the substance use outcome analyzed.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (10) ◽  
Author(s):  
Helen Gonçalves ◽  
Ana Luiza Gonçalves Soares ◽  
Ana Paula Gomes dos Santos ◽  
Camila Garcez Ribeiro ◽  
Isabel Oliveira Bierhals ◽  
...  

Abstract: The objective of this study was to investigate the association between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among adolescents from a Brazilian cohort. The occurrence of five ACEs, the use of alcohol and tobacco and trying illicit drugs were investigated in the 1993 Pelotas birth cohort at the age of 15 (n = 4,230). A score was created for the ACEs and their association with the use of substances was evaluated. Around 25% of adolescents consumed alcohol, 6% smoked and 2.1% reported having used drugs at least once in their lives. The ACEs were associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs. A dose-response relation between the number of ACEs and the substance use was found, particularly with regard to illicit drugs. The occurrence of ACEs was positively associated with the use of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among adolescents and the risk may be different for men and women. These results point to the fact that strategies for preventing the use of substances should include interventions both among adolescents and within the family environment.


2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 24-53 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kevin T. Wolff ◽  
Michael T. Baglivio ◽  
Hannah J. Klein ◽  
Alex R. Piquero ◽  
Matt DeLisi ◽  
...  

A growing body of research has demonstrated the deleterious effects of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Less understood is the role of ACEs in gang involvement among juvenile offenders. The current longitudinal study employs a sample of 104,267 juvenile offenders (mean age of 16, 76% male, 46% Black non-Hispanic, 15.7% Hispanic) to examine the effect of ACE exposure on two different measures of gang involvement by age 18. We use structural equation modeling to test whether higher ACE exposure at Time 1 predicts gang involvement and whether current substance use and/or difficult temperament mediates the ACE-gang involvement relationship. Results indicate ACE exposure at Time 1 predicts gang involvement by age 18, but that much of the effect of ACEs on later gang involvement can be explained by their impact on current substance abuse and difficult temperament. Implications for juvenile justice systems are discussed.


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