Wu Shiyou, de Saxe Zerden Lisa, Wu Qi
a School of Social Work , University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill , Chapel Hill , NC , USA.
b Department of Social Work , University of Mississippi , Oxford , MS , USA.
Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse. 2016 Nov;42(6):657-670. doi: 10.1080/00952990.2016.1176176. Epub 2016 Jun 17.
The associations between early life-socioeconomic status and health, specifically substance use, are well substantiated. The vulnerabilities associated with adversity in childhood, particularly poverty, can have a cumulative effect on an individual's risk and resilience throughout the life course. While several studies substantiate the relationship between substance use and welfare participation, less known is the impact of and prevalence of behavioral health problems later in life among young adults who were welfare recipients before age 18.
This article explores whether childhood welfare participation before the age of 18 years influences substance use until young adulthood (24-34 years).
This study used Add Health data with sample sizes ranging from 12,042 to 12,324 respondents, and propensity score matching methods to balance the samples and account for selection bias. Matched data were then used to run a series of regression models.
Those who participated in welfare before the age of 18 years had a significant lower probability of remaining substance-free until young adulthood (marijuana-free by 30%, p < 0.001; and other illicit substances-free by 16%, p < 0.05). However, no significant between-group differences were found on any of the alcohol-related variables.
Findings highlight long-term behavioral health risks, especially substance use, faced by young adults who participated in welfare before the age of 18 years. Acknowledging the vulnerabilities associated with welfare participation and living in poverty could help increase the effectiveness of program and treatment efforts. The prevention of long-term behavioral health disorders hinges on early diagnosis and intervention.
早年社会经济地位与健康，特别是物质使用之间的关联已得到充分证实。童年时期逆境（尤其是贫困）带来的脆弱性可能会对个体一生的风险和恢复力产生累积影响。虽然多项研究证实了物质使用与福利参与之间的关系，但鲜为人知的是，18岁之前接受过福利救济的年轻人在成年后期出现行为健康问题的影响和患病率。
本文探讨18岁之前的童年福利参与情况是否会影响直至青年期（24 - 34岁）的物质使用。
本研究使用了“青少年健康纵向研究”（Add Health）的数据，样本量在12,042至12,324名受访者之间，并采用倾向得分匹配方法来平衡样本并考虑选择偏差。然后使用匹配后的数据运行一系列回归模型。
18岁之前接受过福利救济的人在青年期保持不使用物质的可能性显著更低（不使用大麻的可能性低30%，p < 0.001；不使用其他非法物质的可能性低16%，p < 0.05）。然而，在任何与酒精相关的变量上均未发现显著的组间差异。
研究结果凸显了18岁之前接受过福利救济的年轻人面临的长期行为健康风险，尤其是物质使用风险。认识到与福利参与和生活贫困相关的脆弱性有助于提高项目和治疗工作的有效性。预防长期行为健康障碍取决于早期诊断和干预。
