Psychology Department, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, Illinois, USA.
Subst Use Misuse. 2021;56(3):388-395. doi: 10.1080/10826084.2020.1868519. Epub 2021 Jan 10.
A robust relationship has been established between childhood maltreatment and risky substance use. Posttraumatic stress symptoms and callous-unemotional (CU) traits, both of which can be consequences of childhood maltreatment, have been implicated as potential mediators of this relationship, but despite phenotypic overlap have not been examined within the same model. The current cross-sectional study examined the indirect effect of childhood maltreatment severity on risky drug and alcohol use behaviors though PTSS and CU traits. Undergraduates ( = 355, 54.4% female) with childhood maltreatment histories completed questionnaires regarding childhood maltreatment, PTSS, substance use behaviors, and CU traits. Path modeling was utilized to examine indirect effects of childhood maltreatment on risky alcohol and drug use behaviors. Overall the model demonstrated good fit. PTSS and CU traits were found to fully mediate the childhood maltreatment severity to risky alcohol use behaviors, with PTSS demonstrating a trending mediational effect to risky drug usage. Results support multiple pathways to risky alcohol use for individuals with childhood maltreatment histories through PTSS and CU traits, suggesting both PTSS as well as CU traits as potential targets of intervention for alcohol misuse among individuals with childhood maltreatment experiences.
童年期虐待与危险物质使用之间存在着密切的关系。创伤后应激症状和无情无义（CU）特征都可能是童年期虐待的后果，被认为是这种关系的潜在中介因素，但尽管表型上有重叠，却没有在同一个模型中进行研究。本横断面研究通过创伤后应激症状和 CU 特征，检验了童年期虐待严重程度对危险药物和酒精使用行为的间接影响。有童年期虐待史的大学生（ = 355，54.4%女性）完成了关于童年期虐待、创伤后应激症状、物质使用行为和 CU 特征的问卷。路径建模用于检验童年期虐待对危险酒精和药物使用行为的间接影响。总的来说，该模型拟合良好。创伤后应激症状和 CU 特征完全中介了童年期虐待严重程度与危险酒精使用行为之间的关系，创伤后应激症状对危险药物使用行为有一定的中介作用。研究结果支持了有童年期虐待史的个体通过创伤后应激症状和 CU 特征来实现危险酒精使用的多种途径，这表明创伤后应激症状和 CU 特征都可能是干预有童年期虐待经历的个体酒精滥用的潜在目标。
