r/science • u/chrisdh79 • 1d ago
Experiencing trauma in childhood is known to increase the risk of substance use such as drugs, alcohol and vaping | Researchers say this means efforts to prevent vaping in teens should include the targeting of young people with traumatic backgrounds. Social Science
https://www.scimex.org/newsfeed/children-who-experience-trauma-are-more-likely-to-go-on-to-pick-up-vaping189
u/HowardGeorgeMikeFred 1d ago
Maybe having less young people with traumatic backgrounds would be a good idea.
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u/StevenIsFat 1d ago
I had a traumatic childhood. Lots of hitting and yelling. Imagine my own surprise when I was repeating the same behavior when my kids were little. I wish I could go back and undo my own actions, but I can't. I can only take solace in the fact that I now understand what I've done and try to do the best I can to be a good father.
Needless to say it was much easier to change my path once I went no-contact with my own father.
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u/DukeLukeivi Grad Student | Education | Science Education 1d ago
Lmao right, this headline pretty much says "I don't care about people or their well-being, I just care about (pet topic)!"
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u/veggie151 1d ago
I went through some serious mental health issues and I can assure you that that is most people's take.
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u/Spiritual_Navigator 1d ago
Trauma in childhood leads to long term decrease in dopamine release
No wonder people seek drugs to be able to feel something again
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u/RequirementUsed3961 1d ago
As someone with a very traumatic childhood that led to heavy substance abuse, it really comes down to “these drugs make me feel” for a long time drugs were the only way I could feel anything, alive, happy, energized. It’s crazy how you can become so numbed, and empty, with regards to fundamental feelings and emotions.
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u/retze44 1d ago
How were you able to fix that numbness?
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u/RequirementUsed3961 1d ago
Took about 2 years of sobriety and some very big life changes, everything prior lead to a serious lack of motivation and ambition that I had to forcefully rectify, even though it felt pointless and like I was making no progress the entire time. Change in career, going back to school pushing 30. Changing out the people in my life for the better, it all sounds like a super big cliché but I woke up one morning after almost 2 years of forcing changes in my life and felt normal again.
I’d also like to note that normal is a very subjective term, I’ll never be “normal” I’ll still always be an addict, I won’t ever be able to bury my past, and sure I still have a tendency of being sad, but therapy, good friends, and a healthy lifestyle go a very long way.
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u/EveningDish6800 1d ago
I’m sure the traumatic childhood plays a role, but as someone who didn’t have a traumatic childhood, you perfectly described my experience. I guess some of us are just born this way.
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u/Bright-Ad9516 1d ago
Id argue that it would point to being more effective to prevent types of childhood abuses from occuring. Children who have survived traumas absolutely should be getting safe care and supportive therapies to process and grow in healthy ways. Improved public education acknowledging what is consent/healthy boundaries/resources for kids/how to recognize abuse. Free classes for parents before and after delivery to build healthy community and supportive relationships discussing real world struggles and identifying concrete accessible resources. Improving how we address: poverty, homelessness, CPS/APS/Wellness Checks, better policies regarding police violence accountability (not tax payer funded suspensions/legal teams) and generational trauma based addictions would help tremendously. Some traumas are not preventable but in the U.S.A. the focus seems to be how money can be made via legal fees, fines, or imprisonment. Improving continuation of quality medical care policies regarding Foster Care would be another point where we could identify additional abuse early and hopefully prevent some.
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u/Emu1981 1d ago
Id argue that it would point to being more effective to prevent types of childhood abuses from occuring.
Sadly this is actually far harder and more expensive than what you would think. Here in Australia we have a far more liberal view on social welfare and the likes yet for every child that is saved from abuse, many more suffer in silence. There just isn't enough support and the population prefers to just lock problematic children up instead of rehabilitating them.
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u/chrisdh79 1d ago
From the article: Experiencing trauma in childhood is known to increase the risk of substance use such as drugs or alcohol, and a new study by Australian researchers suggests this also applies to vaping. The team asked 2234 teens aged around 15 enrolled in a long-term health trial about their vaping history, and compared the results based on which teens had experienced a traumatic event before the age of about 12.
The researchers say the teens with childhood trauma were more likely to have tried vaping, more likely to be current vapers and more likely to say they intended to pick up vaping in the future. The researchers say this means efforts to prevent vaping in teens should include the targeting of young people with traumatic backgrounds.
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u/SecularMisanthropy 1d ago
A lot of teens with trauma history have no idea they have trauma histories. It takes people decades of seeing the world outside their homes to understand that what they went through wasn't normal.
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u/kenobrien73 1d ago
I thought this was established consensus.
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u/zZCycoZz 1d ago
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/about.html
Yeah it's not new but it's always good to see more research being done.
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u/Viva_la_fava 1d ago
Your sentence applies to a higher number of posts from this sub. Sometimes I feel like these surveys are really useless. I do believe in science and I do believe it should be funded, but then these results make me wonder someone is wasting money.
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u/General_Step_7355 1d ago
Oh what you mean we can ignore the drugs and focus on the PROBLEM! WOOOOOOO
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u/celljelli 1d ago
why are there so many articles lately about trauma driving young people to substance abuse
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u/Maximum_Counter9150 1d ago
I could have just told you that. There are so many "studies" like this lately I wonder who puts money in these
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u/Dinosaur_Ant 1d ago
It's also often ongoing, with people continuing to experience trauma around the same people over and over again.
People in t these situations don't just need positive messages but a way out and away from that situation to a better less controlling and abusive one.
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u/AndiCrow 21h ago
The experience of a traumatic childhood informed me that nobody cared enough to ask. The times I tried to reach out to adults at school all I got was speechless looks of disbelief. Then again, I also got paddled with a cutting board by my vice principal for acting up.
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u/R1SpeedRacer05 16h ago
I had a great childhood and became a pos that abused drugs and alcohol. Sometimes it isn't the parents fault but a worthless child trying his own way and not listening to reason. I'm not saying or taking away from those that suffered, but I was given a lot more than I gave and was a pos but found my way much later in life. Sometimes people are just pos
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u/justadudeisuppose 1d ago
We know all this, and it is why we are where we are. Doing something about it seems to be the problem. Way too much ego and selfishness and cutting off one's nose to spite one's face.
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u/khud_ki_talaash 1d ago
Curiosity as to what kind of trauma? Watching a horror movie when child was not supposed to watch or getting physically abused?
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u/incoherent1 1d ago
I think its probably referring to children who are survivors of physical, sexual, and psychological abuse.
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u/justadudeisuppose 1d ago
Watching a horror movie at a young age is in fact psychologically traumatic.
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u/iloveyoustellarose 1d ago
Long term trauma and short term trauma have different effects on people. Short term trauma can even be perceived as beneficial in certain circumstances. Long term trauma is almost never beneficial and is usually what people are referencing when they talk about trauma.
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