The relationship between childhood trauma, adult trauma, mental illness, drug and alcohol use

Paper 211 Abstract of a paper presented at the 30th Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and Other Drugs (APSAD) Conference, held in Canberra, Australia, 28 November - 1 December 2010.Background: Longitudinal examination of effects of major trauma in childhood and effect on distal patterns of adult trauma, mental health and drug and alcohol use. A group of primary school children (n = 368) living in small country region in South Australia in 1983 were assessed and then assessed 20 years later. Aim: Examine effects of psychological trauma in childhood and adulthood on adult mental health, drug and alcohol use. Methods: Questionnaires used: ACE, AUDIT and CIDI. Adjustment was made for confounding factors of age and sex. Odds ratio (P < 0.05). 2 Groups. 1. Experienced childhood trauma (n = 204) 2. Absence of childhood trauma (n = 164). Traumas included sexual, physical, psychological abuse, family violence and dysfunction due to substance abuse. Results: Group who experienced one or more childhood trauma developed alcohol problem (OR 2.1), used marijuana more than 5 times (OR 2.0), problems with illicit drugs (OR 4.4), lifetime incidence of depression (OR 3.5), lifetime incidence of anxiety (OR 2.2). Confounding factors from all groups. Men more likely behavioural effects – alcohol problem (OR 3.7), use drugs (OR 2.4), use marijuana (OR 1.6). Women more likely psychological effects – develop depression (OR 2.5) anxiety (OR 2.9). Childhood (with trauma) followed by adulthood (with trauma) more likely than childhood (with no trauma) followed by adult (with trauma) develop – illicit drug problem (OR 8.6) and depression (OR 2.7). Childhood (with trauma) followed by adulthood (with trauma) more likely than childhood (with no trauma) followed by adult (with no trauma) develop – illicit drug problem (OR 10.4) or depression (OR 9.4). Type of trauma. Childhood exposure to substance use in family, develop problem use of alcohol (OR 1.8). However, childhood exposure to mental illness reduced chance of developing problem use of alcohol (OR 0.5). Discussion: Further research focussing on the protective factors for childhood trauma survivors who did not develop trauma, mental health, drug or alcohol problems will be presented.Peter Athanasos, Rose Neild, Charlotte De Crespigny, Miranda Van Hoof, Alexander McFarlane, Michael Sawyer, Cara Cushman, Thomas Sullivanhttp://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1465-3362.2010.00261.