Early life stress is children's experiences of abuse, neglect, and conflict.
Traumatic events may increase the risk of substance abuse for men, while environmental stress and early puberty may increase the risk for women, according to the study presented at 'ENDO 2024', the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston.
Lead researcher Alexandra Donovan said starting substance use at a young age is associated with more severe substance use disorders in adulthood.
Charles R. Los Angeles "Early life stress and early puberty are both associated with early substance use, but it is not clear whether these associations are the same in boys and girls," said Donovan of Drew University of Medicine and Science. California.
Donovan and colleagues evaluated gender differences in the effects of puberty and stress on alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use by age 13.
They analyzed data from 8,608 male and female participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, who were 9 or 10 years old when the study began.
Early life stress increased the likelihood of substance abuse by 9–18 percent in men and 13–20 percent in women.
"Our study supports the association between early life stress and adolescent substance use, expanding our understanding of how this relationship may vary between sexes," Donovan said.
Traumatic events may increase the risk of substance abuse for men, while environmental stress and early puberty may increase the risk for women, according to the study presented at 'ENDO 2024', the Endocrine Society's annual meeting in Boston.
Lead researcher Alexandra Donovan said starting substance use at a young age is associated with more severe substance use disorders in adulthood.
Charles R. Los Angeles "Early life stress and early puberty are both associated with early substance use, but it is not clear whether these associations are the same in boys and girls," said Donovan of Drew University of Medicine and Science. California.
Donovan and colleagues evaluated gender differences in the effects of puberty and stress on alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use by age 13.
They analyzed data from 8,608 male and female participants in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, who were 9 or 10 years old when the study began.
Early life stress increased the likelihood of substance abuse by 9–18 percent in men and 13–20 percent in women.
"Our study supports the association between early life stress and adolescent substance use, expanding our understanding of how this relationship may vary between sexes," Donovan said.