Childhood trauma and the prevalence of alcohol dependence in adulthood

Abstract Introduction: The experience of trauma and stress in childhood and early adulthood can lead not only to immediate physical and psychological symptoms but also to long-term effects observed in later life. Aim and method: The objective of the following study was to search for the correlation between the occurrence of childhood trauma and its long-term outcome, that is alcohol dependence, and to review studies concerning the presence of certain personality traits in patients with such trauma experience and prognostic factors for treatment. The literature in the Google Scholar database was reviewed using the following keywords: childhood abuse, childhood trauma, alcohol addiction and alcohol use disorder. The time descriptors 2015-2021 were also used. Results: On the basis of the conducted studies, it has been found that the experience of extremely stressful situations at a young age is declared by a greater part of the examined patients with alcohol dependence syndrome. It was also noticed that the most significant and most frequently reported negative childhood experiences in patients with alcohol dependence syndrome are physical violence, parental separation or divorce, and mental illness of a family member. It was found that impulsivity, disorder, pessimism, fatigue and asthenia are some of the characteristics of this group of patients. Conclusions: It can be concluded that there is a significant correlation between the occurrence of traumatic events in childhood and the tendency to develop alcohol addiction in adulthood.