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Young people exposed to adverse childhood experiences between the ages of 0 and 12, including parental drug abuse, are at the highest risk of developing problematic cannabis use as teens, according to a new study.
The research, led by University of Bath psychologist and expert in adolescent mental health, Dr. Lindsey Hines, analyzed the results of more than 5,000 participants who were followed using the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children, also known as the “Children of the 90s” study. .
Adverse childhood experiences (“ACEs”) considered included physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, emotional neglect, bullying, parental substance use, parental violence, parental mental health issues, and a parent who has been convicted for a criminal offense.
During the study, they combined these negative childhood experiences with self-reported data on the frequency of cannabis use at various times between the ages of 13 and 24. Self-reported data ranged from individuals who had never experimented with cannabis to regular use in their teens.
They found that people who experienced four or more ACEs were more than twice as likely to use cannabis regularly as teenagers, compared to those who experienced low levels of ACEs. Teenagers who grew up with parents who had abused drugs or alcohol, or who had parents with mental health problems, were at the highest risk of using cannabis on a regular basis.
Given the long-term mental and physical health implications of young cannabis use, they are calling for much more support to help young people before cannabis use becomes mainstream. Parts of the UK could learn from approaches such as the cannabis support for young people offered by Bristol Drug Project (BDP), they say.
Dr. Lindsey Hines explained: “Our study is one of the first to comprehensively follow adverse childhood experiences from birth, and to see how they relate to teenage cannabis use, which can begin as early as age 13. As a result, we see a strong correlation between these difficult early life experiences and regular cannabis use in adolescence and young adulthood.
“A growing body of research is highlighting the challenges posed by regular cannabis, particularly for the long-term mental health of young people. With this study, we wanted to focus on the factors underlying cannabis use, in the hope of informing more targeted interventions that may help young people and their families in the future.”
The BDP is a charity that provides harm reduction and treatment services to people experiencing a negative relationship with drugs and/or alcohol. With 36 years of experience, the goal is to support people in the changes they want to see in their lives, whatever they may be.
Hazel McMahon is one of BDP’s New Leaf Cannabis Support Workers on its youth team. She said: “Our youth team supports both youth who use substances and youth who are impacted by someone else’s substance use. By working simultaneously with these two groups, we see the significant overlap in these populations on a daily basis. ACEs and other trauma are important factors when sending our services.
“Our cannabis support group, New Leaf, is using a trauma-informed approach and we are building on protective factors known to reduce the negative impact of ACEs, such as being in a positive and consistent relationship with an adult. We welcome this research that wholeheartedly proves the link between ACEs and cannabis use, and we hope it will impact the delivery of specific cannabis support services for young people across the country.”
In recent years, public sector organizations in Bristol and Gloucester have spearheaded plans to raise awareness of ACEs in the public sector, with the aim of reducing early exposure to adversity. The work of dr. Hines suggests this could significantly reduce patterns of harmful cannabis use in the next generation.
The full study “Adverse childhood experiences and adolescent cannabis use trajectories: findings from a longitudinal British birth cohort” is published in the Lancet Public Health.
More information:
Lindsey A Hines et al, Adverse childhood experiences and trajectories of adolescent cannabis use: findings from a UK longitudinal birth cohort, The Lancet Public Health (2023). DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(23)00095-6
Quote: Adverse childhood experiences are ‘strong predictors’ for adolescent cannabis use (2023, June 29) Retrieved June 30, 2023 from https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-06-adverse-childhood-strong-predictor-adolescent .html
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