Substance use predicted by parental maltreatment, gender, and five-factor personality

Abstract

Parental maltreatment is suggested to result in negative outcomes for emerging adults, including substance use. Additionally, parental emotional and physical maltreatment are associated with a number of temperament changes, as suggested by attachment theory. Prior research suggests five-factor traits such as higher neuroticism, higher extraversion, and lower conscientiousness are associated with increased substance use and likelihood of substance abuse. Thus, the current study examined the relations among paternal and maternal emotional and physical maltreatment, emerging adult gender, five-factor traits, and substance use. Participants consisted of 585 (202 males and 383 females) emerging adult college students (M = 19.27, SD = 1.47). Multiple regression analysis indicated that maternal and paternal emotional maltreatment and emerging adult extraversion, conscientiousness, and neuroticism predicted substance use, whereas maternal and paternal physical maltreatment and emerging adult gender, openness, and agreeableness were not significant predictors. These finding suggest both parental maltreatment and emerging adult personality factors play a role in predicting emerging adult substance use and further distinguishes between paternal and maternal emotional and physical maltreatment in addition to associations between parental maltreatment and five-factor traits in emerging adults.