Adverse Childhood Experiences and Alcohol or Drug-Related Negative Consequences
among High School Students Who Alcohol or Drug Use: The Protective Effects of Personal
Assets.
 
Rasmey Gomez, MPHc; Eric Shanazari, MPH; Timothy Grigsby, PhD; Christopher Rogers, PhD,
MPH Myriam Forster, PhD, MPH
 
Background: Alcohol or drug-related negative consequences (ADRNC; e.g., trouble with
parents, friends, or romantic partner, problems at school, regrettable actions, fighting, or risky sexual situations) among adolescents who use substances, can increase risk for justice involvement, school drop-out, and are potent predictors of later life alcohol and drug dependence. Conversely, personal assets (e.g., feeling control of their life and future, avoiding things that are dangerous or unhealthy, feeling good about themselves, and developing good health habits) can foster resilience and encourage healthy development. While adolescents with a history of adverse childhood experiences (ACE) are at greater risk for alcohol and drug misuse, research investigating the association between ACE and ADRNC and the potential protective effects of personal assets is limited.
 
Methods: Data are baseline survey responses of diverse high school students (N=1,158) enrolled in a school-based study assessing health and developmental outcomes. GLMs examined the association between ACE and ADRNC, and whether personal assets mitigate the negative effects of ACE on ADRNC, adjusting for age, sex, ethnicity, poverty status, and state.
 
Results: Approximately half of the sample was female (54%), 26% identified as non-Hispanic White, followed by African American (23%), Hispanic (23%), Multiracial (19%), and Asian (8%). More than one-third of adolescents (37%) had at least one ACE, and over one in four [324 (28%)] reported using alcohol or drugs. Of students who reported using substances, 35% acknowledged at least one type of ADRNC. In comparison to adolescents with no history of ACE, those with ACE had nearly twice the incidence rate ratio of ADRNC (IRR: 1.82, 95% CI: [1.43, 2.30]). Personal assets were inversely associated with ADRNC, and moderation analysis indicated that students with a history of ACE and who reported robust personal assets (1 to 2 standard deviations above the sample mean) experienced fewer ADRNC than their peers with similar ACE exposure (p=0.01).
 
Conclusions: That personal assets offset the negative effects of ACE for ADRNCE highlights the potential benefits that programs designed to strengthen personal development and encourage student engagement could have for at-risk youth with a history of ACE and engaged in substance.