Peer victimization and associated alcohol and substance use: Prospective pathways for negative outcomes

A considerable number of studies have documented associations between peer victimization and concurrent and prospective increase in alcohol and substance use. Only a handful have investigated the psychological (e.g., internalizing behavior) and biological (e.g., neural systems) factors that contribute to this relation. Emerging studies provide clues as to mechanisms that may underlie increased risk for alcohol and substance use and associated problems in peer victimized youth, which may serve as potential targets for intervention. This review proposes a conceptual framework of increased alcohol/substance use in peer victimized youth as sequelae of alterations in the structure and/or function of neural regions broadly implicated in cognitive control and emotion processing/regulation. Studies are outlined linking peer victimization with alcohol/substance use, associations with internalizing symptoms, and differential structure and function in, and connectivity among, neural regions implicated in alcohol/substance use disorders. Further, the role(s) of neuroendocrine dysfunction, comorbid mental illness, and genetics are discussed as risk factors for substance use following peer victimization. This review concludes with the identification of gaps in the literature and suggestions for further investigation, such as the need for more studies examining the neural correlates of peer victimization, including cyberbullying, and greater consistency in how peer victimization and alcohol/substance use are operationalized and measured across studies. Prospective investigations of biological and psychosocial factors that contribute to alcohol and substance use and development of alcohol/substance use problems are needed to inform novel intervention and prevention strategies in typically developing youth and in populations with high rates of peer victimization, such as individuals with comorbid mental illness and those at high risk for psychiatric disorders.