Adverse childhood experiences and consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs among adolescents of a Brazilian birth cohort.

Helen Gonçalves,Ana Paula Gomes Dos Santos,Luna Strieder Vieira,Fernando C Wehrmeister,Natália Limões Hellwig,Isabel Oliveira Bierhals,Ana Luiza Gonçalves Soares,Ana M B Menezes,Camila Garcez Ribeiro

doi:10.1590/0102-311x00085815

Helen Gonçalves, Ana Paula Gomes Dos Santos + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/0102-311x00085815

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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.

Highlights

Experimentation and use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs typically begin in adolescence and the consumption of these substances is considered a relevant public health issue [1,2]
The results of this study show a positive association between multiple adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs use among 15-yearold adolescents
They show that emotional neglect, domestic violence and physical abuse were the most frequently reported ACEs, whilst alcohol and tobacco were the most consumed substances

Summary

Introduction

Experimentation and use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs typically begin in adolescence and the consumption of these substances is considered a relevant public health issue [1,2]. The ACEs are sources of stress that people may experience early in life, usually before the age of 18, which include multiple types of abuse (physical, sexual, and psychological), neglect, and several sorts of family dysfunction [18,19]. Many types of ACEs have been described to be associated with the beginning and continued consumption of alcohol, tobacco and illicit drugs during adolescence [2,4,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,20,21]. The association between ACEs and substance use can differ according to gender [13,22], and females may have a higher risk than males 13

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