CONCOMITANCE BETWEEN CHILDHOOD ABUSE AND SUBSTANCE USE PROBLEMS

This study focuses on the apparent connection between childhood sexual or physical abuse (CSA, CPA) and later substance use problems (SUPs) among adolescents and adults. The rates of CSA among females with SUPs were found to be, on average, nearly two times higher than those found in the general population, and the rates of SUPs among women with CSA histories were found to be similarly elevated. The rates of CSA were not found to be elevated among males with SUPs, but men with histories of CSA were found to be at greater risk for SUPs than men in the general population. Women, girls, and boys with SUPs were found to have elevated rates of CPA relative to the general population, while adult males with SUPs were not found to have elevated rates of CPA.