Childhood sexual abuse and cannabis use in early adulthood: Findings from an Australian birth cohort study

Abstract

Childhood sexual abuse (CSA) is associated with a wide range of health problems later in life. The impact of CSA on young adults’ use of cannabis remains under-studied. We examined the extent to which exposure to CSA was associated with increased rates of use of cannabis in early adulthood in a birth cohort of 3,285 Australian children followed-up to the age of 21 years, when retrospective reports of CSA were obtained from sample participants along with information on their use of cannabis at 21 years. Young adult men and women who reported experiencing CSA had significantly higher rates of frequent use of cannabis in early adulthood, defined as use of cannabis at least “every few days.” In multivariate analyses, men who reported a history of CSA had an odds ratio (OR) of 2.1 (95% CI = 1.1–3.9) for frequent use of cannabis at the age of 21 years. For women, there was an OR of 3.9 (95% CI = 2.4–6.3). Family and individual factors measured earlier in the study did not confound these associations. The findings suggest that children experiencing CSA have a substantially greater risk of use of cannabis and, in particular, its frequent use in early adulthood. Further research is required to explore factors that explain the pathway linking CSA and use of cannabis in early adulthood.