Is Childhood Adversity Independently Linked to Lifetime Alcohol Dependence?

Research findings have suggested that having an adverse event in childhood increases one’s risk for developing alcohol dependence and that this effect strengthens with a greater number of adverse events. However, these studies neglected to control for all possible confounders. Using data on 43,093 individuals from the 2001–2002 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, investigators have now examined the contribution of childhood or adolescence adversity to this risk, independent of many other known risk factors.

The researchers examined four specific adverse events occurring before age 18: parental divorce, death of a biological parent, living with foster parents, and living in an institution. Even after adjustment fo…