Family Adversity Research Articles

Maternal and paternal unsupportive parenting and children's externalizing symptoms: The mediational role of children's attention biases to negative emotion.

This study examined children's duration of attention to negative emotions (i.e., anger, sadness, fear) as a mediator of associations among maternal and paternal unsupportive parenting and children's externalizing symptoms in a sample of 240 mothers, fathers, and their preschool children (Mage = 4.64 years). The multimethod, multi-informant design consisted of three annual measurement occasions. Analysis of maternal and paternal unsupportive parenting as predictors in latent difference changes in children's affect-biased attention and behavior problems indicated that children's attention to negative emotions mediated the specific association between maternal unsupportive parenting and children's subsequent increases in externalizing symptoms. Maternal unsupportive parenting at Wave 1 predicted decreases in children's attention to negative facial expressions of adults from Wave 1 to 2. Reductions in children's attention to negative emotion, in turn, predicted increases in their externalizing symptoms from Wave 1 to 3. Additional tests of children's fearful distress and hostile responses to parental conflict as explanatory mechanisms revealed that increases in children's fearful distress reactivity from Wave 1 to 2 accounted for the association between maternal unsupportive parenting and concomitant decreases in their attention to negative emotions. Results are discussed in the context of information processing models of family adversity and developmental psychopathology.

Structural brain alterations in older adults exposed to early-life adversity

BackgroundAdverse childhood events may have differential effects on the brain that persist into adulthood. Findings on structural brain alterations in older adults exposed to early-life adversity are inconsistent notably due to heterogeneity in imaging studies, population, psychiatric comorbidities, nature of adverse events, and genetic vulnerability. This study examines whether exposure related to physical or sexual maltreatment, emotional maltreatment, and global adverse environment during childhood are associated with specific alterations in grey matter volumes and if this varies according to sex and serotonin transporter-linked promoter region (5-HTTLPR) genotype. MethodStructural MRI was used to acquire anatomical scans from 398 community-dwelling older adults. Quantitative regional estimates of 23 subregional volumes were derived using FreeSurfer software. Retrospective reporting of childhood adversity was collected using structured self-reported questionnaire. Analyses adjusted for age, sex, brain volume, head injury, lifetime depression and anxiety disorder, psychiatric medication, and cardiovascular ischemic pathologies. ResultsExposure to adverse family environment was associated with smaller volumes of several frontal, cingulate, and parietal subregions and larger amygdala in the 5-HTTLPR SS genotype participants specifically but larger volumes of caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens in the SL genotype participants. Highly significant differences were found with excessive sharing of parent problems with children, associated with larger grey-matter volumes in the thalamus and several frontal and parietal regions in 5-HTTLPR SL male participants specifically. ConclusionsEarly-life adversity is associated with grey-matter volume alterations in older adults and this varies according to the type of adversity experienced, sex, and serotonergic genetic vulnerability; 5-HTTLPR SS participants appearing most vulnerable and SL individuals most resilient.

Early maternal care and amygdala habituation to emotional stimuli in adulthood.

Evidence suggests that maternal care constitutes a protective factor for psychopathology which may be conditional on the level of family adversity. Given that psychopathology is frequently linked with social deficits and the amygdala with social functioning, we investigated the impact of early maternal care on amygdala function under high vs low familial risk for psychopathology. Amygdala activity and habituation during an emotional face-matching paradigm was analyzed in participants of an epidemiological cohort study followed since birth (n = 172, 25 years). Early mother–infant interaction was assessed during a standardized nursing and play setting at the age of 3 months. Information on familial risk during the offspring’s childhood and on the participants’ lifetime psychopathology was obtained with diagnostic interviews. An interaction between maternal stimulation and familial risk was found on amygdala habituation but not on activation, with higher maternal stimulation predicting stronger amygdala habituation in the familial risk group only. Furthermore, amygdala habituation correlated inversely with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) diagnoses. The findings underline the long-term importance of early maternal care on the offspring’s socioemotional neurodevelopment and of interventions targeting maternal sensitivity early in life, particularly by increasing maternal interactive behavior in those with familial risk.

Importance of Family Connection for Healthy Weight Behaviors Amid Adverse Family Experiences and Behavioral Difficulties.

Adverse family experiences (AFEs), including parent divorce and domestic violence, negatively affect obesogenic behaviors and engagement in healthy weight behaviors (HWBs). The current study used a moderated mediation model to investigate the role of family connection in the relationship between AFEs and HWBs for children with behavioral difficulties. Youth (6-17 years old; n = 13,921) from the 2016 National Survey of Children's Health data set were included in the study. Family connection mediated the relationship between AFEs and each HWB. The models of physical activity and screen time had significant direct effects. Behavioral difficulties moderated the direct effect of AFEs and screen time and physical activity. Family connection mediated the relationships between each HWB and AFEs. The findings suggest that for children without behavioral difficulties, family connection was a stronger protective factor for adequate physical activity and decreased screen time.

Assessing the influence of housing needs on boys’ offending post-release

ABSTRACT In 2016, there were approximately 45,000 juveniles in placement in the United States. Most youth indicate that they plan to live with a family member upon release. Yet, many boys report housing needs before, during or after their time in placement which may be related to family experiences with child maltreatment, substance abuse and criminal justice contact. Using the young males’ data from the Serious and Violent Offenders Re-entry Initiative (SVORI), we investigate the influence of boys’ housing needs prior to their release on their continued housing needs and offending in the first-year post-release. We found that needing a place to live prior to release significantly increased boys’ violent offending at nine-months post-release and we also find that boys who did not live with a parent prior to placement reported more crime at nine-months post-release. We also found that boys’ baseline housing needs and prior physical abuse significantly predicted boys’ reports that they needed help finding a place to live at nine-months and that baseline housing needs significantly predicted housing needs at fifteen months post-release. We contextualize our findings given the adverse family environments boys often face post-release.

Online-delivered parenting intervention for young children with disruptive behavior problems: a noninferiority trial focused on child and parent outcomes.

This study evaluated whether an evidence-based parenting intervention, when delivered online, could effectively address disruptive behavior problems in young children and yield outcomes comparable to in-person delivery of the same intervention. Families (n = 334) of children (3-7 years; 63% White, 22% African American, 15% other races; 63% male) with disruptive behavior problems were randomized to online-delivered intervention (ODI) or staff-delivered intervention (SDI), resulting in baseline and demographic equivalence. Primary outcome measures for child disruptive behavior (independent observation, parent report) and secondary outcome measures of parenting and family impact were assessed at baseline, postintervention, and follow-up. Conducted using intent-to-treat (ITT) as well as per-protocol (PP) methods, noninferiority analyses, which drew on an HLM framework with repeat measures across three timepoints and on REML to provide unbiased estimates of model parameters, tested whether the outcome-difference CI did not exceed the a priori noninferiority margin. For ITT and PP analyses, the ODI was found to be noninferior to the SDI on the primary outcome: independently observed child disruptive behavior and parent-reported child behavior problems. The pattern for secondary outcomes was more varied: (a) noninferiority for observed positive and aversive parenting; (b) noninferiority for observed quality of parent-child relationship at post but not follow-up assessment; (c) noninferiority for parent-reported inappropriate/inconsistent discipline for PP but not ITT analyses; and (d) noninferiority not confirmed for parenting daily hassles and adverse family quality of life, despite large effect sizes for the ODI (Cohen's d .75-1.07). Finally, ODI noninferiority was found for teacher-reported child disruptive behavior. The tested online-delivered parenting intervention demonstrated clear noninferiority with the corresponding staff-delivered parenting intervention on the primary outcome, child disruptive behavior problems, and reflected substantial though nonuniform noninferiority and meaningful effect sizes for secondary outcomes related to parenting and family. Future research will guide optimization of online interventions.

The Association of Family-Related Adversity With Fighting in Adolescents: Does Hopelessness Mediate This Association?

Objectives: To explore the association of family-related adversities with physical fighting, and whether this association is mediated by hopelessness. Methods: The sample consisted of 3712 Slovak adolescents (mean age: 13.9, 50.7% girls). Participants answered questions regarding experienced family-related adversities, involvement in physical fighting in the last 12 months and the Hopelessness Questionnaire. First, the association of family adversities in general with fighting and of each of family-related adversity separately was assessed using linear regression models and second, mediation was assessed using the a*b product method with bootstrapped 95% confidence intervals Results: Adolescents who had experienced at least one family adversity reported more frequent fighting. Similarly, each of reported family adversities (death of a parent, substance abuse problems of a parent, conflicts/physical fights, divorce) was associated with more frequent fighting among adolescents. The mediation effect of hopelessness was found in each association of family-related adversity with fighting. Conclusion: These findings suggest that interventions to support adolescents who had experienced family adversities could among other things be directed at better coping with hopelessness.

Associations Between Childhood Trauma and the Age of First-Time Drug Use in Methamphetamine-Dependent Patients.

Childhood trauma is related to substance use disorder; however, few studies have examined the relationship between childhood trauma and the age at which the drug was first used. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and the age of first-time drug use among methamphetamine-dependent patients. Moreover, we analyzed the characteristics of adverse family environment associated with severe childhood trauma and the risk factors for starting drugs in minors. A baseline interview was conducted with 110 participants who were in detoxification, including demographic information, past substance use, and age of first-time drug use. The participants' childhood trauma experience before 18 years of age was evaluated using the simplified version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF). The Chinese version of the Family Environment Scale (FES-CV) was used to assess the family environment of methamphetamine-dependent patients. Among 110 non-injecting methamphetamine-dependent patients, nearly half (n = 48, 43.6%) had moderate and severe childhood trauma. Correlation analysis showed that the age of first-time drug use negatively correlated with emotional abuse (r = −0.32, p < 0.01) and physical abuse (r = −0.27, p < 0.01). The age of first-time drug use negatively correlated with conflict (r = −0.20, p < 0.05) and independence (r = −0.22, p < 0.05) of family environment, but positively correlated with intellectual-cultural orientation (r = 0.28, p < 0.01). Additionally, childhood trauma factors significantly correlated with many indexes of family environment, especially cohesion (r = −0.45, p < 0.01), conflict (r = 0.49, p < 0.01), and independence (r = 0.33, p < 0.01). Additionally, the regression model showed that when emotional abuse increased by one point, the age of first-time drug use was 0.69 years earlier. These findings suggest that a detrimental family environment can aggravate childhood trauma, and the experience of childhood emotional or physical abuse may be an effective predictor of early drug use among methamphetamine-dependent patients.

Parental Incarceration, Child Adversity, and Child Health: A Strategic Comparison Approach.

Background: Research points to parental incarceration as an important social determinant of child health. Even so, studies examining the health impact of parental incarceration in the context of diverse childhood stressors and adversities are lacking. Methods: The present study uses a large, nationally representative sample to compare U.S. children who were exposed to parental incarceration to a strategic comparison group of U.S. children who were not exposed to parental incarceration, but were nonetheless exposed to alternative family stressors and adversities. Results: The initial findings generally reveal worse health among children exposed to parental incarceration compared to those who are not exposed. Even so, these differences were partially or completely attenuated when comparing the incarceration-exposed group to more comparable groups of children exposed to a varying degree of alternative stressors/adversities. Conclusions: Programmatic efforts targeting parental incarceration as a means of promoting child health may be enhanced by adequately addressing co-occurring family stressors and child adversities.

Childhood memories of food and eating in lower-income families in the United States: a qualitative study

BackgroundChildhood obesity prevention initiatives emphasize healthy eating within the family. However, family-focused initiatives may not benefit children whose families lack economic and/or social resources for home cooking and shared meals. The aim of this paper is to examine how adults talk about and make sense of childhood memories of food and eating, with particular attention to understandings of family life and socioeconomic conditions.MethodsSemi-structured interviews with 49 adults in 16 families (22 parents and 27 grandparents of young children) were conducted in Oregon, United States. Most participants had experienced socioeconomically disadvantaged childhoods. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analysis, with a focus on the participants’ memories of food provision, preparation, and consumption in their childhood homes.ResultsTwo main themes were developed: (1) “Food and cohesion”, with the subthemes “Care and nurturance” and “Virtue transmission through shared meals”, and (2) “Food and adversity”, with the subthemes “Lack and neglect” and “Restriction and dominance”. The first theme captures idealized notions of food in the family, with participants recounting memories of care, nurturance, and culinary pleasure. The second theme captures how participants’ recollections of neglectful or rigidly restrictive feeding, as well as food discipline tipping over into dominance, upend such idealized images. Notably, the participants alternately identified poverty as a source of lack and as an instigator of creative and caring, if not always nutritionally-ideal, feeding. Thus, they remembered food they deemed unhealthy as a symbol of both neglect and care, depending on the context in which it was provided.ConclusionsChildhood memories of food and eating may express both family cohesion and family adversity, and are deeply affected by experiences of socioeconomic disadvantage. The connection between memories of food the participants deemed unhealthy and memories of care suggests that, in the context of socioeconomic disadvantage, unhealthy feeding and eating may become a form of caregiving, with nutrition considered only one aspect of well-being. This has implications for public health initiatives directed at lower-income families.

Prevalence of and relationship between adverse childhood experiences and family context risk factors among children with intellectual disabilities and borderline intellectual functioning

BackgroundAdverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are an overlooked risk factor for behavioural, mental and physical health disparities in children with intellectual disabilities (ID) and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF). AimsTo gain insight into the presence of the 10 original Wave II ACEs and family context risk variables in a convenience sample of children with ID and BIF in Dutch residential care. Methods and procedures134 case-files of children with ID (n = 82) and BIF (n = 52) were analysed quantitatively. Outcomes and results81.7 % of the children with ID experienced at least 1 ACE, as did 92.3 % of the children with BIF. The average number of ACEs in children with ID was 2.02 (range 0−8) and in children with BIF 2.88 (range 0−7). About 20 % of the children with moderate and mild ID experienced 4 ACEs or more. Many of their families faced multiple and complex problems (ID: 69.5 %; BIF 86.5 %). Multiple regression analysis indicated an association between family context risk variables and the number of ACEs in children. Conclusions and implicationsThe prevalence of ACEs in children with ID and BIF appears to be considerably high. ACEs awareness in clinical practice is vital to help mitigate negative outcomes.

Sex Trafficking Red Flags:: Confirming Presentation Patterns and Childhood Adversity Risk Factors

With knowledge about red flags, health professionals can better identify sex trafficking victims. This research seeks to confirm a match between items on one screening tool and trafficked youth’s actual experiences. Also considered are high levels of adverse childhood experiences, another red flag among trafficked youth. Both provide evidence that health care professionals should regularly screen for trafficking risk factors, including personal and family adversity, among youth in all health care settings. Existing clinically oriented tools can serve as a starting point for nurse leaders to integrate system-wide interventions to identify youth at risk for and currently being trafficked.

Commentary: On intimate relationships, adult roles, interplay of family adversity and individual vulnerability, intergenerational transmission, and developmental selection - commentary on Vergunst et al. (2020).

Five developmental trajectories of partnering in the ages 18–35 were identified by Vergunst et al. (2020). In my discussion of these trajectories, I included findings of three studies using the same dataset as Vergunst et al. First I showed that formation and maintenance of intimate relationships have different childhood precursors. It also became clear that family adversity and high inattention in childhood are systematic predictors of problems in investing in age‐graded roles in adulthood: in educational attainment, partnering, and becoming economically self‐reliant. A limitation of the study Vergunst et al. is the absence of adolescence. Inclusion of data on adolescent development could have clarified why effects of family adversity and childhood traits are very small and provided evidence for the role of parent–adolescent relationships. Finally, the study by Vergunst et al. demonstrates intergenerational transmission of problems across various developmental domains. This intergenerational continuity of vulnerabilities suggests developmental selection.

Association of Adverse Family Experiences with School Engagement and Performance in US Adolescents: Do Behavioral Health Conditions Mediate the Relationship?

To examine the prevalence of adverse family experiences (AFEs), their association with poor school engagement and performance, and whether behavioral health conditions mediate the association among US adolescents. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of data from adolescents aged 12-17years from the 2016-2018 National Survey of Children's Health (n = 41,648 unweighted). We first estimated the prevalence of AFEs, investigated the association of AFEs with school engagement and performance, and whether behavioral health conditions mediate such relationships, using multivariable-adjusted Poisson regression models. A mediation analysis was used and covariates included socio-demographic characteristics and co-morbid medical conditions. A total of 52.9% of US adolescents (nationally representative of 12.9 million adolescents nationwide) reported experiencing at least one form of AFE, the most common of which included parental divorce/separation (33.1%), economic hardship (22.0%) and living with a person with substance misuse problems (11.5%). Adolescents with ≥4 AFEs had poorer outcomes in school engagement and performance (p < 0.001 each) when compared to those with no AFEs. Behavioral health conditions (e.g., anxiety, depression, and conduct problems) partially mediated these relationships (p < 0.01 each). The indirect effect of behavioral health conditions accounted for 20.4% of the total effect in the association between AFEs and school performance (p < 0.001). AFEs are common among US adolescents, and cumulative AFEs are associated with behavioral health conditions, which may in turn reduce school engagement and performance. While reducing AFEs is important in children and adolescents, addressing potentially resultant behavioral health conditions is equally important in improving school engagement and performance.

Can centre-based childcare buffer against the negative effects of family adversity on child socio-emotional wellbeing?

BackgroundDifferent configurations of family adversity affect children’s socio-emotional development differently; however, we lack knowledge of moderators amenable to policy intervention. This study explored whether early childhood centre-based childcare moderated the impact of family adversity configurations on socio-emotional development.MethodsData were from the Growing Up in Scotland first birth cohort, born 2004–05. Latent class analysis of 19 early childhood family adversity indicators identified four classes: ‘Low Risk’ (68%), ‘Poor Maternal Health’ (16.5%), ‘Economic Hardship’ (10.0%) and ‘Multiple Adversities’ (5.5%). Latent growth models of externalizing and internalizing symptom trajectories (age 46–152 months, n = 3561) by family adversity controlled for confounding. Moderation by centre-based childcare use was examined through stratification.ResultsCompared to ‘Low Risk’, high-risk classes had more externalizing and internalizing symptoms and internalizing symptoms increased at a faster rate, with ‘Multiple Adversities’ faring worst. The effects of ‘Economic Hardship’ on change in externalizing symptoms over time varied by childcare (P = 0.035): relative to the Low Risk group, symptoms increased (+0.04 points/year) among those not using childcare, and decreased (–0.09 points/year) among those who did. The effect of ‘Multiple Adversities’ on internalizing symptoms also varied (P = 0.034): +0.12 without centre-based childcare; +0.33 with centre-based childcare (patterns were similar for externalizing symptoms but with wide confidence intervals). No moderation was found by ‘Poor Maternal Health’.ConclusionsCentre-based childcare may alleviate disadvantages in socio-emotional wellbeing for children experiencing mainly economic hardship, but may exacerbate them for those experiencing multiple adversities. A better understanding of how early years’ services can support families with complex needs is required.

Chains of Adversity: The Time-Varying Consequences of Paternal Incarceration for Adolescent Behavior

I draw on general strain theory, a framework often used to understand adolescent behavior, and augment it with aspects of the stress process perspective to examine the time-varying consequences of paternal incarceration for adolescent behavior. I use six waves of data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a cohort of children born around the turn of the twenty-first century, and inverse probability of treatment weighting models to estimate the time-varying relationship between paternal incarceration and adolescent behavior problems and the mechanisms underlying this relationship. Results document three main findings. First, adolescents exposed to paternal incarceration at any point in the life course have more behavior problems than their counterparts not exposed to paternal incarceration. Second, exposure to paternal incarceration during early childhood, but not during middle childhood or early adolescence, is positively associated with behavior problems. Third, this relationship is partially explained by family adversities stemming from paternal incarceration. This research builds on our criminological understanding of how strains, such as paternal incarceration, can facilitate inequalities in adolescent behavior by considering dynamic selection into paternal incarceration, the time-varying repercussions of paternal incarceration, and the mechanisms linking paternal incarceration to adolescent behavior. Early life course paternal incarceration facilitates chains of adversity that accumulate throughout early childhood, middle childhood, and adolescence.

Towards understanding neurocognitive mechanisms of parenting: Maternal behaviors and structural brain network organization in late childhood.

A substantial body of knowledge suggests that exposure to adverse family environments – including violence and neglect – influences many aspects of brain development. Relatively less attention has been directed toward the influence of “normative” differences in parenting behaviors. Given the rapid brain reorganization during late childhood, parenting behaviors are particularly likely to impact the structure of the brain during this time. This study investigated associations between maternal parenting behaviors and the organization of structural brain networks in late childhood, as measured by structural covariance. One hundred and forty‐five typically developing 8‐year‐olds and their mothers completed questionnaire measures and two observed interaction tasks; magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were obtained from the children. Measures of maternal negative, positive, and communicative behavior were derived from the interaction tasks. Structural covariance networks based on partial correlations between cortical thickness estimates were constructed and estimates of modularity were obtained using graph theoretical analysis. High levels of negative maternal behavior were associated with low modularity. Minimal support was found for an association between positive maternal behaviors and modularity and between maternal communicative behaviors and modularity. Our findings suggest that variation in negative maternal behavior is associated with the structural organization of brain networks in children.

The Influence of Family Support, Adversity Intelligence, and Self Efficacy Towards Student Learning Motivation State University of Jakarta during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study aims to examine the effect of family support, adversity intelligence, and self-efficacy on learning motivation. This research was conducted at the State University of Jakarta by distributing questionnaires online through google form media with a total sample size of 100 respondents using a sampling technique, namely simple random sampling. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 24.0 with the requirements test, classical assumption test, multiple regression analysis, and hypothesis testing. Based on statistical descriptions and tests that have been carried out using the SPSS version 24.0 application, it shows that there is a positive and significant influence between the variables of family support, adversity intelligence, and self-efficacy on learning motivation. In this case, someone who has family support, adversity intelligence, and high self-efficacy can increase one's motivation to learn based on these three aspects.

Externalizing and Internalizing Problems: Associations with Family Adversity and Young Children's Adrenocortical and Autonomic Functioning.

The development of child mental health problems has been associated with experiences of adversity and dysregulation of stress response systems; however, past research has largely focused on externalizing or internalizing problems (rather than their co-occurrence) and single physiological systems in high-risk adolescent samples. The present study examined whether cumulative family adversity, functioning in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (i.e., cortisol) and the parasympathetic nervous system (i.e., respiratory sinus arrhythmia [RSA]), and their interactions, predicted trajectories of co-occurring externalizing and internalizing problems among young children. Participants included 338 socioeconomically and racially diverse children (M age=5.32 years, SD=.32; male=51.8%) from a community sample. Family adversity (assessed with six measures) and child daily cortisol output and resting RSA were assessed in kindergarten. Parents, teachers, and children reported on children's externalizing and internalizing psychopathology up to three times from kindergarten to grade 1. Latent class growth analyses identified stable trajectories of externalizing and internalizing psychopathology. Trajectories were combined to create groups: co-occurring externalizing and internalizing (13.1%), externalizing-only (14.0%), internalizing-only (11.3%), and low problems (61.3%). Family adversity and resting RSA significantly positively predicted co-occurring group membership. Tests for interactions showed adversity did not significantly interact with physiological indicators to predict group membership. However, the two physiological systems interacted, such that higher and lower daily cortisol predicted internalizing group membership for children with lower and higher resting RSA, respectively. Findings support the importance of considering family context and multiple physiological systems to inform understanding of the development of mental health problems, and their co-occurrence, in early childhood.

Risk factors associated with curiosity about alcohol use in the ABCD cohort.

Curiosity and intent to use alcohol in pre-adolescence is a risk factor for later experimentation and use, yet we know little of how curiosity about use develops. Here, we examine factors that may influence curiosity about alcohol use, as it may be an important predictor of later drinking behavior. Cross-sectional data on youth ages 10-11 from the ongoing Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development℠ (ABCD) Study Year 1 follow-up were used (n=2,334; NDA 2.0.1). All participants were substance-naïve at time of assessment. Group factor analysis identified latent factors across common indicators of risk for early substance use (i.e., psychopathology and trait characteristics; substance use attitudes/behaviors; neurocognition; family and environment). Logistic mixed-effect models tested associations between latent factors of risk for early substance use and curiosity about alcohol use, controlling for demographics and study site. Two multidimensional factors were significantly inversely and positively associated with greater curiosity about alcohol use, respectively: 1) low internalizing and externalizing symptomatology coupled with low impulsivity, perceived neighborhood safety, negative parental history of alcohol use problems, and fewer adverse life experiences and family conflict; and 2) low perceived risk of alcohol use coupled with lack of peer disapproval of use. When assessing all risk factors in an overall regression, lack of perceived harm from trying alcohol once or twice was associated with greater likelihood of alcohol curiosity. Taken together, perceptions that alcohol use causes little harm and having peers with similar beliefs is related to curiosity about alcohol use among substance-naïve 10-11-year-olds. General mental health and environmental risk factors similarly increase the odds of curiosity for alcohol. Identification of multidimensional risk factors for early alcohol use may point to novel prevention and early intervention targets. Future longitudinal investigations in the ABCD cohort will determine the extent to which these factors and curiosity predict alcohol use among youth.