Associations of childhood poly-adversity with alcohol problems among undergraduates: adolescent alcohol use trajectories and drinker self-schema.

Objective: Undergraduate drinking is associated with childhood adversity, early alcohol experience, and drinker self-schema. However, the pathway linking childhood adversity to undergraduate drinking problems remains undefined. This study aimed to identify the effects of childhood poly-adversity on the sequelae of adolescent alcohol-use trajectory, drinker self-schema, and alcohol problems among undergraduates. We also examined whether adolescent alcohol-use trajectory and drinker self-schema mediated the effects of childhood poly-adversity on undergraduate alcohol problems.

Methods: Baseline data from an ongoing prospective study, which included 851 first- and second-year full-time college students in Taiwan, were used. An anonymous online questionnaire was administered.

Results: The results showed that low poly-adversity and high poly-adversity were associated with the mean of initial alcohol use frequency during adolescence and further alcohol problems at college than those with no adversity. High poly-adversity was also associated with the increase in alcohol use frequency during adolescence. Both initial and increase in alcohol use frequency were associated with higher drinker self-schema scores and further alcohol problems. The indirect effects of high poly-adversity on undergraduate alcohol problems were mediated through adolescent alcohol-use trajectories and drinker self-schema.

Conclusion: Findings suggest that early identification of childhood poly-adversity and interventions to decrease adolescent drinking may prevent the formation of drinker self-schema and reduce undergraduate drinking problems.