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ATLANTA — Child maltreatment is tied to later opioid use and misuse in adulthood, according to a study led by Georgia State University researchers recently published in the journal Traumatology.
The researchers conducted a systematic literature review to identify studies examining the relationship between childhood maltreatment and later opioid use. They identified 11 studies which varied considerably in how child maltreatment was measured (e.g., cutoffs for when child maltreatment ended, as well as the frequency, intensity, duration or perpetrators of child maltreatment) and how opioid use was characterized.
Child maltreatment was directly associated with opioid use across nine of the 11 studies.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines child maltreatment as abuse (physical, sexual or emotional) or neglect that occurs before the child is 18 years old that parents, caregivers or individuals in custodial roles (e.g., coaches, pastors) perpetrate.
Specifically, the review found that across abuse types, there was a relationship between child maltreatment and adult opioid use disorder, prescription opioid use or younger age of onset for opioid use.
“While this study has advanced our understanding of which types of maltreatment show consistent ties to opioid use in adulthood, there is still much more to learn about the frequency, duration and intensity of opioid use among individuals who have experienced child maltreatment,” said lead author Susan M. Snyder, an associate professor in the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies’ School of Social Work.
The study’s coauthors include social work associate professors Robin M. Hartinger-Saunders and Lionel D. Scott Jr., Ann DiGirolamo, a research professor and director of the Center of Excellence for Behavioral Health and Wellbeing in the Georgia Health Policy Center in the Andrew Young School, and Dalhee Yoon from State University of New York at Binghamton.
“Perhaps one of the most important implications of this study is to reinforce the importance of early detection of child maltreatment and early intervention to potentially prevent the initiation of opioid use in adulthood,” said DiGirolamo.
Access the article here.
Featured Researcher
Susan M. Snyder
Associate Professor
School of Social Work
Susan M. Snyder has more than a decade of practice experience in the field of child welfare, which informs her commitment to advancing research in the field. She investigates the sequelae of problem behavior, including substance use and illegal behaviors, among maltreated and system-involved youth. Her research has been published in leading journals such as PLOS ONE, Children Youth Services Review, Substance Use Misuse and Child Abuse and Neglect.