Exploring ACEs, Mental Health Symptoms, and Substance Use among Latino Youth

• In Event: Poster Session 08
  In Poster Session: PS 08 Topic - Race, Ethnicity, Culture, Context

Abstract

Exposure to adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) is associated with a host of negative consequences, including increased substance use in adolescence (Allem et al. 2015). Examining the impact of ACEs on substance use among Latino youth is particularly imperative as Latino youth have been found to experience ACEs at significantly higher rates than the general U.S. teen population (Becker et al. 2014), as well as report higher rates of substance use relative to youth from other ethnic groups (Kann et al. 2018; Johnston et al. 2017). Further, mental health (MH) symptoms may enhance the deleterious effects of ACEs on youth outcomes, yet few studies have examined MH symptoms as a moderator of this link among Latino youth. To address this gap, the current study examined ACEs, MH symptoms and substance use (lifetime marijuana and alcohol use) among a sample of Latino teens. Based on previous research (e.g., Felitti et al. 1998; Jellinek et al. 1999), it was hypothesized that ACEs would be significantly associated with lifetime substance use (alcohol and marijuana use), even when MH symptoms were accounted for. It was further hypothesized that the presence of MH symptoms would strengthen the link between ACES and substance use. To test our hypotheses, 71 Latino/a adolescents (68% male, M age=15) were recruited to participate in a study of resilience through after-school programs in an urban New England city. Youth completed an adapted ACEs checklist assessing 8 early adversities (Felitti et al. 1998), the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (Jellinek et al. 1988) to assess MH symptoms, and the YRBS (Center for Disease Control and Prevention 2008) to assess lifetime marijuana and alcohol use. As expected, ACEs were common in our sample (M Aces = 3.59, SD = 1.96), as was lifetime substance use (60.4% endorsed alcohol use and 64.4% endorsed marijuana use). Rates of MH symptoms were also high (mean PSC total score = 65.33). Bivariate analyses yielded expected differences in mean ACEs scores based on the presence or absence of substance use (Alcohol, t(69)=-4.28, p<.001; Marijuana, t(69)=-3.82, p<.001). Contrary to our hypotheses, a modest negative correlation was found between ACEs and current MH symptoms (r = -.175, p<.001). In hierarchical logistic regression models, MH symptoms accounted for additional variance in alcohol use above and beyond ACEs and socioeconomic status, (Alcohol B= .06, S.E.=.008, p<.001). Further, MH symptoms were found to moderate the link between ACES and marijuana use (Marijuana B=.006, S.E.=.002, p<.001), but not alcohol use. Results support prior work demonstrating high rates of ACEs, MH symptoms and substance use among Latino youth (Loria and Caughy 2018; Kann et al. 2018; Dembeck 2017). Findings suggest that ACEs and MH symptoms should each be considered when working towards prevention and intervention efforts for alcohol and marijuana use among Latino youth. Further, despite weak negative links between ACEs and MH symptoms in our sample, results suggest that particular attention to youth MH symptoms may be needed when addressing marijuana use among Latino youth exposed to ACEs.

Authors

• Catherine Sofia Forster, Brown University
  Presenting Author

• Madeline C Manning, Northeastern University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Eli Silverman-Lloyd, Brown University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christopher Houck
  Non-Presenting Author

• Christie J Rizzo, Northeastern University
  Non-Presenting Author