Maltreatment as a Child Ups Odds of Substance Use Admissions by Age 40 Years

WEDNESDAY, May 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- People with a history of child maltreatment (CM) appear to have significantly higher odds of inpatient admissions for alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and other substance use disorders (SUDs) up to 40 years of age, according to a study published online April 18 in Addiction.

Claudia Bull, Ph.D., from University of Queensland in Woolloongabba, Australia, and colleagues used prospective CM reports to statutory agencies to measure associations between CM notifications and inpatient admissions for AUDs and SUDs up to 40 years of age.

The researchers found that individuals with a history of agency-reported or substantiated CM notifications at younger than 15 years of age had higher adjusted odds of being admitted for AUDs and SUDs. The adjusted odds of inpatient admission for AUDs were 2.86 greater where there was any previous agency-reported CM and 3.38 times greater where there was any previous substantiated CM. Similarly, for SUDs, the adjusted odds of inpatient admission were 3.34 and 2.98 times greater, respectively.

"These results highlight the importance of individualized approaches to addressing AUDs and SUDs considering the possibility of previous CM, as well as addressing more generally the life-long challenges faced by individuals with a history of CM," the authors write.

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