(PS4-C74) Pathway from Childhood Maltreatment to Adolescent Substance Use: The Roles of Community Support and Service Accessibility

A substantial body of literature links childhood maltreatment to adolescent substance use, both of which are ongoing public health concerns. Existing research has identified pathways from childhood physical abuse, sexual abuse, and neglect to alcohol, marijuana, tobacco, and polydrug-use in adolescence. Consistent with a socio-ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1977), it is important to consider the development of adolescent substance use within the context of multiple systems, such as the mesosystem (i.e., neighborhoods, schools). Of the research examining neighborhood characteristics in relation to adolescent substance use, structural factors (e.g., socioeconomic status, crime, employment) are largely emphasized with limited attention given to individual-level community support. For example, community characteristics such as closeness with neighbors, degree of trust, and ability to ask for help may be useful indicators of community-level social support. Additionally, structural barriers such as accessibility of services impact mental and physical health outcomes. Service accessibility, or the match between service need and provision, captures a broad range of services including receipt of welfare services, mental and behavioral health services, or access to temporary shelter. Understanding the roles of these community- and societal-level factors in the development of substance use in adolescents can further elucidate systemic influences, which helps to clarify needs for policy advocacy and clinical focus.

This study utilized data from Longitudinal Studies of Child Abuse and Neglect (LONGSCAN) made available by the National Data Archive on Child Abuse and Neglect. The aim of the current study is to examine the pathways from childhood maltreatment, service accessibility, and neighborhood support to adolescent substance use at ages 16 and 18. Participants (N = 573) from the 16-18-year-old data collection phases were included in the current study and identified as 49.7% Black/African American, 23.0% white, 22.3% multiracial, 4.4% Hispanic or Latinx, 0.2% Native American/Indigenous, and 0.3% identified with a race or ethnicity not made available on the form. Analyses demonstrate associations between past-year substance use at age 18 and physical abuse (r = .19, p < .001) and psychological abuse (r = .16, p < .001). Additionally, service accessibility was associated with past-30-day substance use at age 16 (r = .77, p < .001). Multiple linear regression analyses with service accessibility, community support, and childhood maltreatment as predictors of past-year substance use at ages 16 (R² = .042, F(6,515) = 3.74, p < .01) and 18 (R² = .097, F(6,185) = 3.31, p < .01) were significant. Structural equation modeling (SEM) techniques will be utilized to further elucidate the relationship between maltreatment, service utilization, community support, and substance use in adolescence. Further understanding of these factors will inform clinical and community-based work in reducing and preventing adolescent substance use, and additional policy implications will be discussed.