Examining the role of psychological distress in linking childhood maltreatment and alcohol use in young adulthood.
OBJECTIVE
Childhood maltreatment is related to alcohol use as well as psychological distress in young adulthood. Few studies have examined whether psychological distress mediates the relationship between child maltreatment and alcohol use. We examined the role of psychological distress in linking child maltreatment subtypes (ie, emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, neglect) to four patterns of alcohol use, including frequency of alcohol use, binge drinking, alcohol-related problems, and alcohol dependence.


METHODS
We used a community sample of young adults (N = 337), who completed an interview assessing exposure to childhood maltreatment, current psychological distress, and drinking behaviors.


RESULTS
Emotional abuse was associated with psychological distress, whereas psychological distress was related to more pathological drinking behaviors such as alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence. Subsequent analyses indicated significant mediated effects between emotional abuse and alcohol-related problems and alcohol dependence via psychological distress, even after controlling for demographic factors, other maltreatment subtypes, parental alcoholism, and peer alcohol use.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that among four types of childhood maltreatment, emotional abuse might be the major driver of pathological drinking among child maltreatment victims. Interventions aimed at negative emotionality may be useful in preventing and treating problematic drinking among the victims of childhood emotional abuse.
School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.|Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
Sunny H
SH
Shin
Department of Psychiatry, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
Sameer
S
Hassamal
School of Social Work, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, Virginia.
Lauren Peasley
LP
Groves
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D054523:Adult Survivors of Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D019973:Alcohol-Related Disorders / Q000523:psychology*; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult