How multiple childhood maltreatments lead to greater adolescent binge drinking

March 04, 2009

(Boston)-- Researchers from Boston University found that multiple types of child maltreatment are robust risk factors for underage binge drinking based on a national multi-year study that explored the influence of social environment on the health of adolescents.

The research, which appears in the current issue of Addictive Behaviors, explored how binge drinking - consuming five or more alcoholic drinks on a single occasion at least once every two weeks - occurs more frequently when there are multiple categories of maltreatments. Researchers examined the relationship of binge drinking with the co-occurrence of specific maltreatments. These included neglect, physical abuse only, sexual abuse, neglect and physical abuse and the combination of neglect, physical and sexual abuse.

Adolescents, those between the ages of 12 and 21, with a sexual abuse history had more than two-fold greater odds of reporting binge drinking than those with no maltreatment. Teenagers who had experienced both neglect and physical abuse had 1.3 times higher odds of reporting binge drinking than those with no maltreatment while adolescents that experienced all three types of maltreatment were about 1.8 times more likely to report binge drinking. The study accounted for age, gender, race/ethnicity and parental alcoholism - which were strongly associated with adolescent binge drinking.

The authors noted that while other studies have reported that child maltreatment increases an individual's risk for alcohol abuse, only a few studies have examined the effect of childhood maltreatment on adolescent binge drinking. This association is important for understanding the common pattern of alcohol consumption among adolescents with child abuse and neglect.

"Research examining the effect of childhood maltreatment on later alcohol abuse needs to recognize the clustering effects of multiple types of childhood maltreatment on alcohol problems," the study noted.

The findings were based on the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health which included a nationally representative sample of 12,748 adolescents who underwent a series of three interviews about their social environment between 1995 and 2002. The maltreatment questions were asked in the third interview using a computer-assisted self-interviewing method. Parental alcoholism, education and income were based on parental respondents, not adolescent participants.

"We now have strong evidence indicating that adverse childhood experiences such as child maltreatment increases an individual's risk for alcohol problems in adolescence," said Sunny Hyucksun Shin, Assistant Professor of Human Behavior in the Social Environment at Boston University's School of Social Work. "The new challenges we face in substance use research is to identify developmental mechanisms that link childhood maltreatment to heavy episodic drinking in adolescence that can be targeted in the future development of prevention intervention."

Adolescent binge drinking, the authors note, is a major public health problem, accounting for nearly one-fifth (18.8%) of the 10.8 million underage drinkers aged 12 to 20, according to 2005 data in the National Survey on Drug Abuse Health. The problems are greater in males (21.3%) than females (16.1%).

The prevalence of underage drinking has been linked to a host of immediate and long-term adverse outcomes, most notably obesity and high blood pressure, headaches, and concentration difficulties that leads to trouble learning and remembering. In addition to poor academic achievement, binge drinking has led to unprotected sexual activity, unsafe driving practices and motor vehicle accidents.

"Researchers examining the relationship between childhood maltreatments and risky alcohol use in adolescence should simultaneously consider all types of childhood maltreatment to address the totality of the child's experience," the authors concluded.

Boston University

---

---

	7 Weeks to Safe Social Drinking: How to Effectively Moderate Your Alcohol Intake by Donna J. Cornett (Author) Drink less, crave less and prevent alcoholism in the comfort and privacy of your home with the Drink/Link Moderate Drinking Program! Established in 1988, Drink/Link has helped thousands of drinkers worldwide to cut back on their alcohol intake. Over 80% of the drinkers who have completed the program have significantly reduced their alcohol consumption and no meetings, drugs, belief in a higher power or professional help are required for you to succeed! First, you learn five safe-drinking guidelines, then, each week you learn clinically-proven behavioral, cognitive, motivational and lifestyle strategies and techniques to help you stay within those guidelines. The result? You enjoy controlled drinking and no problems. It's an easy, commonsense moderate drinking program that works! ...
	Beat Binge Drinking: A Smart Drinking Guide for Teens, College Students and Young Adults Who Choose to Drink by Donna J. Cornett (Author) Beat Binge Drinking is the first and only comprehensive guide to alcohol use designed for young people who choose to drink - empowering them with smart drinking guidelines and tips to manage and reduce their alcohol consumption. It's the first book to offer youngsters an alcohol education, just like we offer them sex education and drivers education, and it will prevent alcohol abuse and alcoholism before it even starts! Young people will always experiment with alcohol and it's a huge health, social and economic problem. Even the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism recognizes there is a major unmet need in alcohol abuse treatment for young people. Beat Binge Drinking fills this need and it includes: - 21 great reasons to drink smart, not dumb - 10 simple smart...
	Responsible Drinking: A Moderation Management Approach for Problem Drinkers by Frederick Rotgers (Author), Marc F. Kern (Author), Rudy Hoeltzel (Author) This book offers a real alternative to the 32 million Americans who are problem drinkers.Based on extensive scientific literature supporting moderation as a resolution for drinking problems, Responsible Drinking is the only book with research-based techniques that will help non-alcoholic readers overcome their drinking problems. This revolutionary workbook by the leading voices of the Moderation Management treatment approach starts by providing readers with definitive tools to help them discover whether they are problem drinkers or alcoholics. Readers whose problems are less severe than alcohol dependence are then helped to make an informed decision about whether to pursue moderation or to turn to abstinence.For readers who identify themselves as problem drinkers, the workbook goes on to...
	Alcohol Lied To Me : The Intelligent Way To Escape Alcohol Addiction by Viral Success Limited Craig Beck is a well-regarded family man with two children, a nice home and a successful media career. A director of several companies & at one time the trustee of a large children’s charity. Craig was a successful & functioning professional man in spite of a ‘2 bottles of wine a night’ drinking habit. For 20 years he struggled with problem drinking, all the time refusing to label himself an alcoholic because he didn't believe he met the stereotypical image that the word portrayed. He tried countless ways to cut down; attempting ‘dry months’, banning himself from drinking spirits, only drinking at the weekend & special occasions (and found that it is amazing how even the smallest of event can suddenly become ‘special’). All these 'will power' based attempts to...
	Binge Drinking (Essential Issues) by Stephanie Watson (Author)
	From Binge to Blackout: A Mother and Son Struggle with Teen Drinking by Chris Volkmann (Author), Toren Volkmann (Author), Edward A. Malloy (Author), Cardwell C. Nuckols (Author) Throughout his college years, Toren Volkmann partied like there was no tomorrow, having what was supposed to be the time of his life. Like so many parents, his mother, Chris, overlooked Toren’s growing alcohol problem. But when he graduated, Toren realized he’d become a full-blown alcoholic. And he was not alone. Considered a rite of passage, teenage drinking has skyrocketed to epidemic proportions, fostering a generation of young adults whose lives are already beginning to come apart under the strain. This book, written from the viewpoints of both mother and son, is a riveting, enlightening, and heartbreakingly true story of a family that was able to confront the fear, pain, and denial that threatened to destroy them—and survive the epidemic of teenage drinking that’s putting...
	Take Control of Your Drinking...And You May Not Need to Quit by Michael S. Levy (Author) In a career spent working with people who want to change their drinking habits, Michael S. Levy has found that the routes to behavioral change vary: abstinence is the successful route for many people, while others can moderate their drinking on their own or with professional help. In this book, he helps people take control of their alcohol problems by teaching them how to think about and address their drinking habits. Beginning with a set of self-assessments that reveal whether the reader’s use of alcohol is creating problems, Levy explains the causes of problem drinking and why it is so difficult to change. He also offers * guidelines so readers can decide whether to try to moderate their drinking or to choose abstinence* a contract for moderate drinking in which readers decide what...
	Binge Drinking (Pocket Puritan Series) by John Flavel (Author) Often considered a modern phenomenon, binge drinking is in fact an age-old problem. John Flavel, a puritan minister in the naval port of Dartmouth, England, pulls no punches as he confronts the sin of drunkenness head on. Flavel's treatment is a highly relevant exposi of the soul-destroying evils of this 'detestable sin'
	Binge: What Your College Student Won't Tell You by Barrett Seaman (Author) In Binge, Barrett Seaman reveals what every parent, student, and educator needs to know about the college experience. Seaman spent time with students at twelve highly regarded and diverse colleges and universities across North America­. During his two years of research, he immersed himself in the lives of the students, often living in their dorms, dining with them, speaking with them on their own terms, and listening to them express their thoughts and feelings. Portraying a campus culture in which today’s best and brightest students grapple with far more than academic challenges, Binge conveys the unprecedented stresses on campus today. While sharing revealing interviews and the often dramatic stories, Seaman explores the complexities of romantic relationships and sexual relations,...
	Controlling Your Drinking: Tools to Make Moderation Work for You by William R. Miller Phd (Author), Ricardo F. Munoz PhD (Author) How many glasses of wine can you have with dinner before blowing your diet, your cool, or your budget? When it comes to alcohol use, many of us find it difficult to draw the line between problem-free enjoyment and harmful overindulgence. Studies show that 10 percent of Americans--nearly 30 million of us--drink more than we should. If you suspect it’s time to cut back but aren’t sure you want to abstain, Controlling Your Drinking provides an alternative opportunity to reflect on your habits and adjust unhealthy behaviors. Drawing on 30 years of research and nearly three dozen clinical trials, recognized experts William R. Miller and Ricardo F. Muñoz supply hard facts and current data you can use to evaluate your alcohol consumption and judge its impact on your physical and emotional...