Children who had experienced domestic violence between their parents were at 50% higher risk of getting addicted to alcohol than those without that exposure.
The risk getting involved in drug abuse and various addictions like alcohol in adulthood is high among children who face severe adversities, says a new study. The findings showed that children who had experienced domestic violence between their parents were at 50 percent higher risk of developing a dependency on alcohol in comparison to those without that exposure.
‘One in seven adults with drug and alcohol addiction had been exposed to chronic parental domestic violence in their childhood.’
Similar were the magnitude shown by people who had experienced sexual abuse in their childhood. "We found that both direct (physical and sexual abuse) and indirect (witnessing parental domestic violence) forms of childhood victimization are associated with substance abuse," said Esme Fuller-Thomson, Professor at the University of Toronto.
Among the study participants, one in five adults dependent on drugs and alcohol had been sexually abused in their childhood.
One in seven adults with drug dependence or alcohol dependence had been exposed to chronic parental domestic violence.
Parental domestic violence was considered 'chronic' if it occurred 11 or more times before the respondent was 16 years of age.
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The study, published online in the journal Substance Use and Misuse, involved 21,544 adult Canadians who were a part of the Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health, 2012, at the same time.
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Source-IANS