Among Greenlandic adults in substance use treatment, women who experienced physical abuse or had parents with cannabis problems were significantly more likely to report high cannabis use.
Clinicians working in substance use treatment, trauma researchers, and those interested in Arctic/Indigenous health contexts.
What the researchers found
Among women in treatment, parental cannabis abuse and physical abuse during childhood were significantly associated with high cannabis use. Among men, no significant link between specific adverse childhood experiences and substance type was found.
Why it matters
Most ACE and substance use research comes from large Western countries. This study adds perspective from Greenland, where historical trauma and substance use challenges have distinct patterns. The gender-specific findings suggest treatment approaches may need to differ for men and women.
The numbers in context
N=1,037. 74.6% of women and 62.7% of men reported growing up with a parent with alcohol problems. Women showed higher prevalence and greater variety of ACE than men. No cumulative dose-response effect of total ACE count on substance type was found.
How the study worked
Register-based analysis of 1,037 adults receiving substance use disorder treatment in Greenland from June 2020 to December 2022, examining associations between adverse childhood experiences (ACE) and substance use patterns.
What this study cannot tell us
Register-based data from treatment-seeking individuals may not represent the broader population. Self-reported ACE data is subject to recall bias. The relatively small sample size limits statistical power for subgroup analyses. Greenlandic context may limit generalizability.
How to read the evidence
Register-based data provides reliable treatment records, but cross-sectional design and treatment-seeking sample limit causal and population-level conclusions.
When this study was published
Published 2025, using 2020-2022 treatment data from Greenland.
The bigger picture
The finding that parental cannabis use specifically predicted offspring cannabis use (among women) points to intergenerational transmission patterns that may involve both genetic and environmental pathways. The absence of a cumulative ACE effect challenges the simple 'more ACEs, worse outcomes' narrative.
Questions still open
- Why the gender difference in ACE-substance associations exists
- Whether culturally adapted treatment addressing specific ACE types could improve outcomes in Greenland
Common questions
Why study this in Greenland specifically?
Does having more adverse childhood experiences always lead to worse substance problems?
Read the original research
Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among individuals in treatment for substance use disorder: are ACE associated differently across type of abuse and quantity of consumption?
International journal of circumpolar health, 84(1), 2439122
Citation
Sandgård Poulsen, Helena; Georgi, Rikke Dyrberg; Niclasen, Birgit. (2025). Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among individuals in treatment for substance use disorder: are ACE associated differently across type of abuse and quantity of consumption?. International journal of circumpolar health, 84(1), 2439122. https://doi.org/10.1080/22423982.2024.2439122
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