An abused child is three times more likely to develop an addiction as an adult

Nearly 3 out of 4 boys and girls between the ages of 2 and 4 According to the World Health Organization (WHO), around 300 million people regularly suffer physical punishment or psychological violence from their parents or carers. He Child abuse It leads, among other things, to physical and mental health problems that can last a lifetime.

However, this often happens in secret and only some of those affected receive support from medical professionals. A new study published today in the journal Seeksanalyzes the long-term consequences this abuse and neglect of children under 16 years of age.

The research led by Claudia Bullfrom the University of Queensland, Australia, used data from more than 6,000 children born between 1981 and 1983 at the Mater Mothers Hospital in Brisbane, Australia. 10% of these children (609 children) had child abuse reported (reported or confirmed) at least once by the age of 15.

In comparison to the other children there were 609 children People are 2.86 times more likely to be hospitalized for alcohol use and 3.34 times more likely to be hospitalized for substance use at 40 years old.

“These types of disruptions are incredibly costly to societies around the world. Understanding the extent to which they are associated with a history of child abuse can serve as the basis for prevention strategies and early interventions aimed at reducing the occurrence of child abuse,” Bull tells SINC.

The probability of Hospitalization It was more than three times higher among people who had more than two agency-reported incidents of abuse, for both alcohol use disorders and substance use disorders.

Abuse was defined as “reported” if there was evidence of this from a responsible authority during a person’s childhood. Child protection authorities raised the category to “proven” if there were reasonable grounds to believe that the child was, was or might be a victim.

“Our findings suggest that to treat and prevent these types of disorders in individuals with a history of abuse, it is necessary to address their consequences and root causes. Personal interventions and support will also be crucial Better understand your needs and respond to them“, adds the first author.

The indelible mark of abuse

The study also divided child abuse into physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect. The odds of being hospitalized for alcohol dependence were higher (3.48 times more likely) among people who had received substantiated reports of sexual abuse before age 16.

Likewise, the risk of hospitalization for a substance use disorder was higher (3.10 times more likely) for individuals who had received reports of emotional abuse from authorities before age 16.

“Most previous research on childhood adversity and alcohol and substance use disorders has focused on physical and sexual abuse. As we suspected, the odds are similar for all subtypes of abuse and neglect over this period,” says Bull.

Despite the serious findings, the researcher believes it is likely that the reports of Child abuse Child protection services significantly underestimate the true prevalence of the problem.

“The reports in this study did not include individuals with undiagnosed or untreated disorders or those receiving outpatient or community care. “In addition, they reflect practices in the 1980s to 1990s that may represent a further downgrade of the true prevalence and bias against marginalized populations and ethnic minorities,” he concludes.