Assessing the Impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Alcohol Use among Midwestern Undergraduate Students

Background: Research has reported that adverse childhood experiences can lead to emotional, cognitive, physical, social and behavioral problems in later adulthood. While published research has investigated the association between early childhood experiences and negative health behaviors in adults ages 30-65, there is a lack in research that determines whether an association exists between college students’ self-reported adverse childhood experiences and alcohol use disorder.

Methods: The study sample included 1,369 undergraduate college students attending one of state universities in the Midwest region of the United States. Participants completed the Life Events and Behaviors Survey that consisted of demographic information, the Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (ACE) and the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT). A logistic regression model was used to test the differences in alcohol use between the three categories of adverse childhood experiences (no adverse childhood experiences, 1-3 adverse childhood experiences, and four or more adverse childhood experiences) when controlling for age, race, sex, sexual orientation, and whether or not a participant received free or reduce lunch.

Results: In the sample, 55.8% participants reported at-least one adverse childhood experience. . In the sample, 605 (44.2%) of participants were in the No ACE Group, 535 (39.0%) were in the 1-3 ACE Group, and 229 (16.7%) were in the 4 or more ACE Group. In the 4 or more ACE Group, 109 (47.6%) were in the At-risk AUDIT Group. A Chi-square test determined that there was a significantly significant association between AUDIT Group and ACE Group (x ⁽¹⁾ = 15.738, p < .05). The logistic regression model was statistically significant X²(2) = 32.727, p < .05.

Conclusion: Participants in the 4 or more ACE Group were 2.4 times more likely to exhibit at-risk alcohol use than those in the No ACE Group.