Childhood Abuse and Problematic Alcohol Use in College Females: The Role of Self-compassion

Abstract

A history of childhood abuse has been consistently linked to heightened risk for subsequent difficulties across the lifespan, including problematic alcohol use and adolescent sexual assault (ASA). Researchers have begun to explore the added role of a lack of self-compassion in the pathway from childhood abuse to later alcohol-related problems. The present study sought to further examine these relationships in a sample at risk for problematic alcohol consumption, undergraduate females (N = 667). It was hypothesized that a history of three forms of childhood abuse (i.e., sexual, emotional, and physical) would directly predict subsequent alcohol problems, as well as indirectly via a history of ASA and low levels of self-compassion. Using path analysis, we found that a history of childhood sexual abuse (B = .24, z = 2.17, p < .05) and childhood physical abuse (B = .16, z = 3.50, p < .05), directly predicted later alcohol problems, whereas a history of childhood emotional abuse (CEA) was indirectly related to alcohol problems via low levels of self-compassion (B = .03, z = 2.18, p < .05). Findings support the emerging literature on the impact of self-compassion in relation to trauma exposure, and suggest that compassion-based skills training may be a worthwhile treatment target for individuals with a history of CEA and comorbid substance use.