Pathways between childhood mistreatment/victimization, posttraumatic stress, and lifetime substance use disorders among Latinx nationwide.

Abstract

Objective: Childhood mistreatment (CM)/victimization, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and lifetime substance-use disorders (LT-SUD) are major behavioral health concerns. Their associations were established in mainstream populations but remain under-investigated in Latinx Americans. This study aimed to model the mediating effect of PTSD in the link between CM and LT-SUD among Latinx Americans.

Method: Using a nationally representative sample (N = 2,554) from the National Latinx and Asian American Study, three path models were performed for the whole-group, U.S.-born, and foreign-born Latinx (aged 18 or over), controlling for known predictors for Latinx' mental health.

Results: Latinx reported high rates of childhood physical (32%) and sexual (11.8%) abuse. Latinx subgroups significantly varied in educational attainment, LT-SUD, income, English proficiency, and self-reported discrimination. A fully constrained multiple group path analysis demonstrated direct effects of childhood physical mistreatment (CPM) and childhood sexual mistreatment to lifetime PTSD; PTSD significantly mediated the relationship between CPM with LT-SUD. No significant differences in path coefficients were observed among the Mexican, Cuban, and Puerto Rican subgroups.

Conclusions: Findings suggest that CPM may contribute to using substance to avoid physical and emotional pain, which lends support for the self-medication hypothesis. Latinx who were traumatized by both physical and sexual abuse are more likely to use substances as a negative coping strategy. The study underscores the need for assessing the role of substance use as a coping mechanism for Latinx individuals who have experienced childhood traumatic victimization. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2026 APA, all rights reserved).