Sexual Abuse in Childhood Predicted Cannabis Use in Lithuanian Young Adults, but Verbal Abuse Did Not

Sexual abuse predicted higher levels of cannabis, alcohol, nicotine, and heavy psychoactive substance use. Physical maltreatment predicted higher alcohol use. Witnessing interpersonal violence predicted only nicotine use. Unexpectedly, verbal abuse showed significant negative associations across several substance categories. Family addiction history was not significantly associated with substance use.

Cross-sectional study of 709 Lithuanian young adults aged 18-29 who completed an online survey. ACEs measured using adapted items and the MACE questionnaire. Substance use assessed via CUDIT-R, AUDIT, ASSIST, and self-report. Structural equation modeling tested predictive relationships.

This is among the first studies in Lithuania to differentiate between types of adverse childhood experiences and their specific substance use outcomes, challenging the common practice of simply summing ACE scores.

The finding that not all ACEs equally predict substance use, and that verbal abuse may even show a protective association, challenges simplistic models of childhood adversity and addiction. It suggests that the type of adverse experience matters more than the total count.

Cross-sectional design prevents causal conclusions. Self-reported ACEs subject to recall bias. Online convenience sample may not be representative. Lithuanian-specific cultural context may limit generalizability. Verbal abuse finding is unexpected and needs replication.