LAUSR

ABSTRACT Aim: Adolescence is a particularly vulnerable period for illicit drug use. The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among adolescents in a national addiction treatment sample, and investigate the role of ACEs in adolescent drug use. Methods: The study examined data from 260 adolescents, information on ACE exposure and drug use were obtained from retrospective chart review. Results: About 46.5% of the sample experienced at least one ACE and 25.0% experienced two or more ACEs. Results showed that exposure to household dysfunction was associated with drug-related substance use disorders (SUDs). Additionally, exposure to multiple ACEs was associated with SUDs, earlier drug initiation, and more severe drug use. Conclusions: Given that a significant proportion of adolescents presenting for addiction treatment had a history of ACEs, the associations between ACEs and deleterious patterns of illicit drug use highlight the potential adverse impact of ACEs on proximal outcomes in adolescents.