Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 7, 2026

The Use of Trace Eyeblink Classical Conditioning to Assess Hippocampal Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
Published on: August 5, 2017
Childhood maltreatment and early alcohol use among high-risk adolescents
Merle E Hamburger1, Rebecca T Leeb, Monica H Swahn
1Division of Violence Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mail Stop F-64, Atlanta, Georgia 30341, USA.
Objective:
Child maltreatment (CM) is prevalent among U.S. youth and has been associated with subsequent maladaptive behaviors, including substance use. The current study examines the associations between early child maltreatment and (1) preteen alcohol-use initiation and (2) heavy episodic drinking among students in a large study of adolescents.
Method:
The Youth Violence Survey is a cross-sectional survey of public school students enrolled in Grades 7,9, 11, and 12 in a school district in a high-risk community. The analysis sample was limited to students who provided complete data on all relevant variables (N= 3,559). Fifty-two percent of the analysis sample was female. Early child maltreatment was defined as witnessing domestic violence and experiencing physical and/or sexual abuse before the age of 10 years. Outcome variables include ever drinking alcohol, preteen alcohol-use initiation, and heavy episodic drinking.
Results:
Witnessing domestic violence, experiencing physical abuse, and experiencing sexual abuse were significantly associated with preteen alcohol-use initiation (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.26-1.91; AOR = 2.10, 95% CI: 1.69-2.63; AOR = 1.57, 95% CI: 1.16-2.14, respectively). Students who experienced one or more types of maltreatment were 1.5-3 times more likely to report preteen alcohol-use initiation. Heavy episodic drinking was associated only with childhood sexual abuse in boys (AOR = 2.62, 95% CI: 1.52-4.50).
Conclusions:
Prevention and treatment of the negative impact of early child maltreatment may delay and reduce alcohol use.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Protection of Alcohols
Protection
It defines a protecting group as the masking agent to make the more reactive species inert to a given set of conditions. This concept is depicted via the illustration of liquid flow through different outlets in an assembly of pipes. The analogy helps to understand the role...
CNS Depressants: Alcohol and Nicotine
Stress Prevention and Stress Management Techniques IV
Conduct Disorder
Substance Use Disorders Affecting Sleep
Understanding the concepts of physical dependence,...
Self-Presentation: Self-Monitoring and Self-Handicapping

