Adversity in childhood/adolescence and premorbid tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among first-episode psychosis patients

Abstract

Aim: Premorbid substance use is widely recognized as a crucial factor in early psychosis. We explored the effects of childhood/adolescent adversity on premorbid tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use. We hypothesized that adversity in childhood would be associated with an increased likelihood of use, and amount of intake, of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. We analysed which domains of adversity have the greatest impact.

Methods: First-episode psychosis patients were enrolled from six inpatient psychiatric units in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Premorbid substance use was thoroughly measured, and childhood/adolescent adversity was rated using 14 scales/subscales. Factor analysis was used to reduce these scales/subscales to the three domains of adversity (termed Violence and Environmental Adversity, Interpersonal Abuse, and Neglect and Lack of Connectedness). Regression analyses determined associations between adversity domains and premorbid substance use.

Results: Our sample (n = 247) primarily consisted of African Americans (86.2%) and males (74.5%). Violence and Environmental Adversity was significantly associated with five of six substance use variables and marginally associated with the sixth. Interpersonal Abuse was unassociated with substance use, and Neglect and Lack of Connectedness was associated only with a lower likelihood cannabis use. When Violence and Environmental Adversity results were stratified by gender, effects on tobacco use and amount of tobacco use were stronger among females.

Conclusions: Childhood/adolescent trauma and adversity have meaningful associations with premorbid substance use in first-episode psychosis patients. First-episode psychosis and clinical high-risk treatment settings may benefit from expanding the assessment of childhood/adolescent adversity to include factors pertaining to violence exposure and adversities beyond abuse and neglect.

Keywords: adverse childhood experiences; alcohol; cannabis; first-episode; marijuana; psychosis; schizophrenia; tobacco.