Siri Håvås Haugland1, Barbara Carvalho2, Tonje Holte Stea3,4, Arve Strandheim5,6, John-Kåre Vederhus2,7. 1. Department of Psychosocial Health, University of Agder, Postbox 422, 4604, Kristiansand, Norway. siri.h.haugland@uia.no. 2. Department of Psychosocial Health, University of Agder, Postbox 422, 4604, Kristiansand, Norway. 3. Department of Health and Nursing Science, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway. 4. Department of Child and Adolescence Mental Health, Sørlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway. 5. Regional Centre for Child and Youth Mental Health and Child Welfare, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Norway. 6. Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Nord-Trøndelag Health Trust, Levanger, Norway. 7. Addiction Unit, Sørlandet Hospital, Kristiansand, Norway.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are related to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. However, few larger studies based on a general population sample with age groups ranging from young adults to elderly have investigated whether parental alcohol problems increase the risk of offspring subjective reports of ACE both during childhood and current adult adversities. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between parental alcohol problems and adversities during childhood and later in adulthood. METHODS: The 28,047 respondents were adults (> 18 years old) from the general population who participated in the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey. The study had a cross-sectional design and included respondents' evaluations of childhood experiences and current adult adversities. The short version of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6, cut-off ≥3) measured parental alcohol problems. Multivariable logistic regression was adjusted for gender, age, and education. RESULTS: Growing up with parental alcohol problems strongly increased the risk of experiencing a dysfunctional family environment during childhood (odds ratio [OR] 6.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.36-7.36), perceiving childhood as difficult (OR 5.01; 95% CI 4.58-5.49), and reporting a lack of support from a trusted adult (OR 3.07; 95% CI 2.86-3.29). Parental alcohol problems were associated with a modestly increased risk of harmful alcohol use (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.29-1.48), but the association with struggling with bad memories was strong (OR 4.56; 95% CI 4.17-4.98). CONCLUSIONS: Parental alcohol problems increased the risk of offspring experiencing adversities during both childhood and adulthood. Providing supportive services to these children and their families and addressing this issue as part of treatment is important to prevent alcohol related harm.
BACKGROUND: Adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are related to adverse physical and mental health outcomes. However, few larger studies based on a general population sample with age groups ranging from young adults to elderly have investigated whether parental alcohol problems increase the risk of offspring subjective reports of ACE both during childhood and current adult adversities. The purpose of this study was to examine the associations between parental alcohol problems and adversities during childhood and later in adulthood. METHODS: The 28,047 respondents were adults (> 18 years old) from the general population who participated in the Norwegian Counties Public Health Survey. The study had a cross-sectional design and included respondents' evaluations of childhood experiences and current adult adversities. The short version of the Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST-6, cut-off ≥3) measured parental alcohol problems. Multivariable logistic regression was adjusted for gender, age, and education. RESULTS: Growing up with parental alcohol problems strongly increased the risk of experiencing a dysfunctional family environment during childhood (odds ratio [OR] 6.84; 95% confidence interval [CI] 6.36-7.36), perceiving childhood as difficult (OR 5.01; 95% CI 4.58-5.49), and reporting a lack of support from a trusted adult (OR 3.07; 95% CI 2.86-3.29). Parental alcohol problems were associated with a modestly increased risk of harmful alcohol use (OR 1.38; 95% CI 1.29-1.48), but the association with struggling with bad memories was strong (OR 4.56; 95% CI 4.17-4.98). CONCLUSIONS: Parental alcohol problems increased the risk of offspring experiencing adversities during both childhood and adulthood. Providing supportive services to these children and their families and addressing this issue as part of treatment is important to prevent alcohol related harm.
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