ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AS RISK FACTOR FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUBSTANCE ADDICTION
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.51738/Kpolisa2023.20.2r.17bjmKeywords:
cumulative effect, substance addiction, theory of cumulative inequality, trauma theory, trauma-informed care in addiction treatmentAbstract
Research indicates that the likelihood of developing addiction increases with the number of adverse childhood experiences [ACE]. ACE are common precursors to early initiation of psychoactive substance use [PAS], significantly increasing the risk of substance abuse and faster progression to substance addiction [SA]. ACE are associated with a more severe course of addiction, poorer treatment outcomes, and higher rates of relapse after treatment completion. The aim of this paper is to elucidate the link between ACE and the development of psychoactive substance dependence during adulthood, through the method of analysis and synthesis of empirical and theoretical research. The theoretical framework of the paper is based on the theories of cumulative inequality and trauma, which provide overarching postulates for interpreting the link between childhood adversity and SA, and offer conceptual insights into understanding the detrimental effects of ACE on the biopsychosocial development of individuals. This approach challenges the traditional notions of addiction as a “personal choice”, “moral irresponsibility”, “circumstantial coincidence”, or “genetic predisposition”. The paper provides guidelines that emphasise the need for an integrative approach in addressing trauma and addiction, as well as a holistic approach to individuals undergoing addiction treatment.
Downloads
References
Abuse, F. S., & Are, T. A. (2012). The TEDS Report. American Journal on Addictions, 21(5), 468–475.
Anda, R. (2018). The role of adverse childhood experiences in substance misuse and related behavioral health problems. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s Center for the Application of Prevention Technologies task order.https://mnprc.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/acesbehavioral-health-problems.pdf
Behrendt, S., Wittchen, H.-U., Höfler, M., Lieb, R., & Beesdo, K. (2009). Transitions from first substance use to substance use disorders in adolescence: Is early onset associated with a rapid escalation? Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 99(1–3), 68– 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2008.06.014
Benson, M. (2012). Crime and the life course. Routledge.
Bethell, C. D., Carle, A., Hudziak, J., Gombojav, N., Powers, K., Wade, R., & Braveman, P. (2017). Methods to assess adverse childhood experiences of children and families: toward approaches to promote child well-being in policy and practice. Academic pediatrics, 17(7), 51–69.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acap.2017.04.161
Boullier, M., & Blair, M. (2018). Adverse childhood experiences. Paediatrics and Child Health, 28(3), 132-137.
Briggs, E. C., Amaya-Jackson, L., Putnam, K. T., & Putnam, F. W. (2021). All adverse childhood experiences are not equal: The contribution of synergy to adverse childhood experience scores. American Psychologist, 76(2), 243–252.https://doi.org/10.1037/amp0000768
Carliner, H., Keyes, K. M., McLaughlin, K. A., Meyers, J. L., Dunn, E. C., & Martins, S. S. (2016). Childhood trauma and illicit drug use in adolescence: A population-based national comorbidity survey replication – adolescent supplement study. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 55(8), 701–708. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaac.2016.05.010
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019). Preventing adverse childhood experiences: Leveraging the best available evidence. National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia.
Chandler, G. E., Kalmakis, K. A., & Murtha, T. (2018). Screening adults with substance use disorder for adverse childhood experiences. Journal of addictions nursing, 29(3), 172–178. https://doi.org/10.1097/JAN.0000000000000233
Chandler, D. & Munday, R. (2011). A dictionary of media and communication. Oxford University Press.
Dannefer, D. (2003). Cumulative advantage/disadvantage and the life course: Cross-fertilizing age and social science theory. The Journals of Gerontology Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 58(6), 327–337.https://doi.org/10.1093/geronb/58.6.s327
Davidson, G., Devaney, J., & Spratt, T. (2010). The impact of adversity in childhood on outcomes in adulthood: Research lessons and limitations. Journal of Social Work, 10(4), 369– 390. https://doi.org/10.1177/1468017310378783
Douglas, K. R., Chan, G., Gelernter, J., Arias, A. J., Anton, R. F., Weiss, R. D., Brady, K., Poling, J., Farrer, L., & Kranzler, H. R. (2010). Adverse childhood events as risk factors for substance dependence: partial mediation by mood and anxiety disorders. Addictive behaviors, 35(1), 7–13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.07.004
Dube, S. R., Felitti, V. J., Dong, M., Chapman, D. P., Giles, W. H., Anda, R. F. (2003). Childhood abuse, neglect, and household dysfunction and the risk of illicit drug use: the adverse childhood experiences study. Pediatrics, 111(3), 564–572.https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.111.3.564
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245–258.https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Ferraro, K. F., Shippee, T. P., & Schafer, M. H. (2009a). Cumulative inequality theory for research on aging and the life course. In V. L. Bengston, D. Gans, N. M. Pulney, & M. Silverstein (Eds.), Handbook of theories of aging (pp. 413–433). Springer Publishing Company.
Ferraro, K. F., & Shippee, T. P. (2009b). Aging and cumulative inequality: how does inequality get under the skin?. The Gerontologist, 49(3), 333–343.https://doi.org/10.1093/geront/gnp034
Fetting, M. (2016). Self-medication, psychoanalytic, and psychodynamic theories. In Perspectives on substance use, disorders, and addiction (pp. 114–131). SAGE Publications, Inc. https://www.doi.org/10.4135/9781483397412.n8
Goldsmith, R. E., Freyd, J. J., & DePrince, A. P. (2012). Betrayal trauma: associations with psychological and physical symptoms in young adults. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 27(3), 547– 567. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260511421672
Goodman, R. (2017). Contemporary trauma theory and trauma-informed care in substance use disorders: A conceptual model for integrating coping and resilience. Advances in Social Work, 18(1), 186– 201. https://doi.org/10.18060/21312
Harris, M., & Fallot, R. D. (2001). Designing trauma‐informed addictions services. New Directions for Mental Health Services, 2001(89), 57–73.
Hays-Grudo, J., Morris, A. S., Ratliff, E. L., & Croff, J. M. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences and addiction. In Family Resilience and Recovery from Opioids and Other Addictions (pp. 91–108). Springer.
Hawkins, J. D., Catalano, R. F., & Miller, J. Y. (1992). Risk and protective factors for alcohol and other drug problems in adolescence and early adulthood: implications for substance abuse prevention. Psychological bulletin, 112(1), 64–105.https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.64
Hutchison, E. D. (2010). A life course perspective. Dimensions of human behavior: The changing life course, 4, 1–38.
Hutchison, E. D. (2018). Dimensions of human behavior: The changing life course. Sage Publications.
Jordan, C. J., & Andersen, S. L. (2017). Sensitive periods of substance abuse: early risk for the transition to dependence. Developmental cognitive neuroscience, 25, 29–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dcn.2016.10.004
Jugović, A. (2022). Socijalna patologija – Nauka o društvenim devijacijama [Social pathology – the science of social deviations]. Univerzitet u Beogradu: Fakultet za specijalnu edukaciju i rehabilitaciju.
Kalmakis, K. A., & Chandler, G. E. (2014). Adverse childhood experiences: towards a clear conceptual meaning. Journal of advanced nursing, 70(7), 1489–1501. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.12329
Keyser-Marcus, L., Alvanzo, A., Rieckmann, T., Thacker, L., Sepulveda, A., Forcehimes,…Svikis, D. S. (2015). Trauma, gender, and mental health symptoms in individuals with substance use disorders. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 30(1), 3–24. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260514532523
Khantzian, E. J. (1997). The self-medication hypothesis of substance use disorders: a reconsideration and recent applications. Harvard review of psychiatry, 4(5), 231–244.https://doi.org/10.3109/10673229709030550
Khantzian, E. J. (2018). The Self-medication hypothesis and attachment theory: pathways for understanding and ameliorating addictive suffering: The twentieth John Bowlby Memorial Lecture. In Addictions from an Attachment Perspective (pp. 33–56). Routledge.
Lee, G. P., Storr, C. L., Ialongo, N. S., & Martins, S. S. (2012). Association between adverse life events and addictive behaviors among male and female adolescents. The American journal on addictions, 21(6), 516–523. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1521- 0391.2012.00285.x
Levenson, J. (2020). Translating trauma-informed principles into social work practice. Social Work, 65(3), 288–298.https://doi.org/10.1093/sw/swaa020
Leza, L., Siria, S., López-Goñi, J. J., & Fernandez-Montalvo, J. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance use disorder (SUD): a scoping review. Drug and alcohol dependence, 221, 108563.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2021.108563
Mate, G. (2019). U svetu gladnog duha: bliski susret za zavisnošću [In the realm of hungry ghosts: close encounters with addiction]. Kontrast izdavaštvo.
Maté, G. (2012). Addiction: Childhood trauma, stress and the biology of addiction. Journal of Restorative Medicine, 1(1), 56–63.
Maté, G. (2022). Beyond the medical model: addiction as a response to trauma and stress. In Evaluating the brain disease model of addiction (pp. 431–443). Routledge.
Matias, K. (2022). The trauma recovery toolkit: the resource book: a creative approach to psychoeducation. Taylor & Francis.
Matjasko, J. L., Herbst, J. H., & Estefan, L. F. (2022). Preventing adverse childhood experiences: the role of etiological, evaluation, and implementation research. American journal of preventive medicine, 62(6), S6–S15.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amepre.2021.10.024
Merdović, B., & Vujović, R. (2022). Oblici i karakteristike interpersonalnog nasilja [Forms and characteristics of interpersonal violence]. Kultura polisa, 19(2), 55–88. https://doi.org/10.51738/Kpolisa2022.19.2p.55mv
Merton, R. K. (1995). The Thomas Theorem and the Matthew Effect. Social Forces, 74, 379–422.http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sf/74.2.379
Mitchell, B. A. (2003). Life course theory. The international encyclopedia of marriage and family relationships, 1051–1055.
Misouridou, E. (2016). Trauma and addiction: Implications for practice. Rostrum of Asclepius/Vima Tou Asklipiou, 15(3), 207–222.https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.56816
Moustafa, A. A., Parkes, D., Fitzgerald, L., Underhill, D., Garami, J., Levy-Gigi, E., Stramecki, F., Valikhani, A., Frydecka, D., & Misiak, B. (2018). The relationship between childhood trauma, earlylife stress, and alcohol and drug use, abuse, and addiction: An integrative review. Current Psychology: Research and Reviews, 1–6. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-018-9973-9
Nurius, P. S., Green, S., Logan-Greene, P., & Borja, S. (2015). Life course pathways of adverse childhood experiences toward adult psychological well-being: a stress process analysis. Child abuse & neglect, 45, 143–153.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2015.03.008
Rashid, Y., Rashid, A., Warraich, M. A., Sabir, S. S., & Waseem, A. (2019). Case study method: a step-by-step guide for business researchers. International Journal of Qualitative Methods, 18, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1177/1609406919862424
Rothman, E. F., Edwards, E. M., Heeren, T., & Hingson, R. W. (2008). Adverse childhood experiences predict earlier age of drinking onset: results from a representative US sample of current or former drinkers. Pediatrics 122(2), 298–304.https://doi.org/ 10.1542/peds.2007-3412
Silverman, M. (2020). Adverse childhood experiences: a clinical tool for intervention with families and for exploring intergenerational impacts. Sarah Lawrence College.https://digitalcommons.slc.edu/child_development_etd/37
Smith, B. T., Brumage, M. R., Zullig, K. J., Claydon, E. A., Smith, M. L., & Kristjansson, A. L. (2021). Adverse childhood experiences among females in substance use treatment and their children: a pilot study. Preventive Medicine Reports, 24, 101571. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2021.101571.
Solberg, M. A., Peters, R. M., Resko, S. M., & Templin, T. N. (2023). Does coping mediate the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and health outcomes in young adults?. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40653-023-00527-z
Stein, M. D., Conti, M. T., Kenney, S., Anderson, B. J., Flori, J. N., Risi, M. M., & Bailey, G.L. (2017). Adverse childhood experience the effects of non-opioid use initiation, injection drug use, and overdose among persons with opioid use disorder. Drug and Alcohol Dependence, 179, 325–329.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.drugalcdep.2017.07.007
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). (2015). Trauma-informed approach and trauma-specific interventions.https://ncsacw.acf.hhs.gov/userfiles/files/SAMHSA_Trauma.pdf
Van der Kolk, B. (2014). The body keeps the score: brain, mind, and body in the healing of trauma. Viking Press.
Wu, N. S., Schairer, L. C., Dellor, E., & Grella, C. (2010). Childhood trauma and health outcomes in adults with comorbid substance abuse and mental health disorders. Addictive Behaviors, 35(1), 68–71.https://doi.org/10.1016/j.addbeh.2009.09.003
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
Categories
License
Copyright (c) 2023 Dragica Bogetić, Aleksandar Jugović, Boro Merdović
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
