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Early life stress can contribute to substance abuse during adolescence.

Understanding Early Life Stress

Early life stress includes various adverse experiences such as abuse, neglect, and family conflict. In the United States, about 20% of adolescents have faced these types of stress at some time in their lives. These stressful experiences have a profound impact on health behaviors during both adolescence and adulthood. 

The Connection Between Early Life Stress and Substance Use

Stress during childhood has been linked to earlier substance use in male and female adolescents, as presented at ENDO 2024, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston, Massachusetts. According to the study led by Alexandra Donovan, Ph.D., from Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science, traumatic events tend to increase substance use risk for males, while environmental stress and early puberty elevate the risk for females.

Study Insights

Dr. Donovan and her team investigated the roles of puberty and stress in the initiation of alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use by age 13. Their research analyzed data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, which included 8,608 participants who were 9 or 10 years old at the study's outset. The analysis utilized information collected over the first three years of the study.
The results indicated that early life stress heightened the chances of earlier substance use for both boys and girls. In males, early life stress was linked to a 9-18% increase in the likelihood of using substances early, while in females, the increase ranged from 13-20%. 

Gender Differences in Substance Use Risks

Environmental stress was particularly influential in females, increasing the likelihood of early nicotine and cannabis use by 15-24%. In contrast, traumatic event stress had a notable impact on males, increasing their likelihood of substance use by 15-16%. Additionally, higher pubertal development scores were associated with a higher likelihood of earlier nicotine use in females, while reducing this likelihood in males.

Implications for Prevention

These findings underline the importance of addressing early life stress in preventing adolescent substance use. They suggest the need for tailored prevention programs in schools that consider the differing impacts of stress on males and females. Such personalized approaches could be more effective in mitigating the risks associated with early life stress and substance use in adolescence.