TITLE:
Influence of Early Life Stress on Alcohol and Crack Dependents
AUTHORS:
Elton Brás Camargo Júnior, Maria Neyrian de Fátima Fernandes, Larissa Bessani Hidalgo Gimenez, Jaqueline Rodrigues Stefanini, Ana Carolina Guidorizzi Zanetti, Edilaine Cristina da Silva Gherardi-Donato
KEYWORDS:
Childhood Trauma, Adverse Childhood Experiences, Child Abuse, Early Life Stress, Substance Abuse, Crack, Alcohol
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.10 No.5,
May
9,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Early life stress is a significant public health problem associated with increased rates of psychiatric disorders, especially those related to drug abuse. Objective: To identify the prevalence of early life stress in drug users, to compare the intensity of trauma in alcohol and crack users, and to relate the power of injury to the severity of drug dependence. Method: Cross-sectional analytical study with a sample of 105 alcohol and crack users treated by an outpatient service. The instruments for data collection were sociodemographic data questionnaire, the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview, and the Severity of Dependence Scale. The categorical variables association was analyzed using the Chi-squared test, considering p Results: High prevalence of early stress and severity of dependence were identified, with higher rates among crack users. The early stress revealed in the Alcohol group high rates of emotional (88.7%) and physical (94.3%) neglect and in the Crack group significant frequency of physical (61.5%) emotional abuse (51.9%), sexual (46.2%), and emotional (78.8%) and physical (90.4%) neglect. Crack users are 2.6 times more likely to have been emotionally abused, and 2.1 times more likely to have been sexually abused during childhood when compared to the alcohol group. Conclusion: Early stress was prevalent with significant intensity in drug users, and evaluation of this problem is essential for a better understanding of these disorders.