Given that maltreatment types often co-occur, emerging investigations have examined the cumulative impact of multiple types of childhood maltreatment on a variety of developmental outcomes. Theses studies have found greater developmental difficulties, including emotional or behavioral problems, and lowered social competence and self-esteem, as the number of maltreatment types increases (Higgins and McCabe, 2000; Lau et al., 2005; Rossman et al., 1998). The current study extends past work by suggesting the effects of multicategory maltreatment on adolescent binge drinking. Given that risk factors are likely to cluster in the same individuals (Masten & Coatsworth, 1998), researchers examining the relationship between childhood maltreatment and risky alcohol use in adolescence should simultaneously consider all types of childhood maltreatment to address the totality of the child’s experience.
