The impact of child maltreatment on mental health and substance use trajectories among adolescents.

AIM: There is robust evidence that child maltreatment is a significant risk factor and linked to negative psychological outcomes. However, few studies have examined the impact of child maltreatment on mental health and substance use trajectories across adolescence.

METHODS

Data were drawn from a larger longitudinal project, in which participants were recruited starting in grade 7-8 and followed on two more occasions biennially. The final baseline sample was comprised of 765 youth (Mage  = 12.73, SD = 0.67, 49.7% female, 57.6% Caucasian/White). Multivariate multinomial logistic regressions were conducted to examine whether youth with maltreatment histories differed in their internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problems trajectories (based on previous studies) than youth without maltreatment histories. Moderation analyses using multinomial logistic regression were also conducted to examine perceived family support and school connectedness as protective factors against the impact of maltreatment.

RESULTS

Youth who experienced maltreatment were more likely to display more severe internalizing, externalizing, and substance use problem trajectories than youth without such histories. While not significant as moderators, perceived family support and school connectedness were significantly associated with each of the trajectories, with lower levels of perceived family support and school connectedness linked to more severe problem trajectories.

CONCLUSIONS

Results highlight the ongoing and significant harmful impact of maltreatment among youth. Results also support further prevention and intervention efforts for child maltreatment, particularly at the family and school level.