Childhood sexual abuse can have significant short- and long-term effects, including the subsequent development of alcohol use disorder. This report is an evidence-based guide on the association between childhood sexual abuse and alcohol use disorder (including alcohol abuse and alcohol dependence) as a teenager/adult. These findings will be used to assist in the decision making process regarding cover and entitlements of those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse and later developed alcohol use disorder.
Key Results
Findings from the two systematic reviews, one meta-analysis, two cohort studies, and three primary studies identified in this report showed that:
- There is fair quality evidence that childhood sexual abuse is associated with the development of problematic alcohol use, alcohol abuse and/or dependence with an odds ratio of between 1.4 and 5.88.
- Evidence from cohort studies in New Zealand and Australia suggest that exposure to childhood sexual abuse increases the risk of subsequent development of alcohol dependence and abuse.
- There is some evidence that increasing severity of childhood sexual abuse (i.e., childhood sexual abuse involving attempted or completed penetration) is associated with an increased rate of alcohol dependence.
- There is some evidence that alcohol dependence among those who have experienced childhood sexual abuse may be attributed to family background effects and genetic factors.
- Limitations of the current research examining the association between childhood sexual abuse and alcohol use disorder include the cross-sectional design of studies, wide variety of definitions of childhood sexual abuse used, abuse being reported retrospectively, and presence of confounding variables.