Childhood trauma and the prevalence of alcohol dependence in adulthood

Karolina Kosecka,Ewa Stelmach

doi:10.2478/cpp-2020-0024

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: The experience of trauma and stress in childhood and early adulthood can lead not only to immediate physical and psychological symptoms but also to long-term effects observed in later life. Aim and method: The objective of the following study was to search for the correlation between the occurrence of childhood trauma and its long-term outcome, that is alcohol dependence, and to review studies concerning the presence of certain personality traits in patients with such trauma experience and prognostic factors for treatment. The literature in the Google Scholar database was reviewed using the following keywords: childhood abuse, childhood trauma, alcohol addiction and alcohol use disorder. The time descriptors 2015-2021 were also used. Results: On the basis of the conducted studies, it has been found that the experience of extremely stressful situations at a young age is declared by a greater part of the examined patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. It was also noticed that the most significant and most frequently reported negative childhood experiences in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome are physical violence, parental separation or divorce, and mental illness of a family member. It was found that impulsivity, disorder, pessimism, fatigue and asthenia are some of the characteristics of this group of patients. Conclusions: It can be concluded that there is a significant correlation between the occurrence of traumatic events in childhood and the tendency to develop alcohol addiction in adulthood.

Highlights

The experience of trauma and stress in childhood and early adulthood can lead to immediate physical and psychological symptoms and to long-term effects observed in later life [1-4]
According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) definition, violence against children refers to experiencing abuse or neglect by a person under 18 years of age
Structural and functional neuroimaging showed that stressors presence in early stages of life, occurrence of childhood trauma or chronic stress may lead to lower gray matter volume in medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and insula regions

Summary

Introduction

There is a growing awareness of the fact that many stressful life events can affect the development of addictions, including alcohol dependence. Lee et al indicate that in early developmental stages, when neuroplasticity is high, exposition to early childhood traumas may cause changes in physiological stress system and reward system and lead to post-traumatic stress disorders and tendency to alcohol abuse in adulthood [6]. Structural and functional neuroimaging showed that stressors presence in early stages of life, occurrence of childhood trauma or chronic stress may lead to lower gray matter volume in medial prefrontal cortex, amygdala, hippocampus and insula regions. These stressors listed above may decrease responses in prefrontal regions responsible for working memory, reward system, resilience coping and, connected with the tendency do risk alcohol use, binge eating and aggressive behaviours [11]. The most common traumas include sexual, emotional and physical abuse, stressful events such as death, loss of one or both parents, domestic violence, extremely poor living conditions, and poverty [2,3,5]

Aim of the study

Methods

Findings

Conclusions