These results build upon previous research. The present study shows that not only does child maltreatment affect risk for alcohol and nicotine use (26–29) and dependence symptoms (30, 31), it also affects disorder course. This is consistent with research suggesting that childhood maltreatment is associated with more severe substance use problems (32–34). Our finding that physical neglect affects course is consistent with the one previous study of the effect of childhood neglect on course of drug use (35). However, our findings that all types of abuse also predicted course conflict with findings by Wilson and Widom (2010), which may be due to various differences between the studies including (a) the specific substances studied or (b) their legality, (c) the current study’s focus on dependence (not use), or (d) the current study’s use of a nationally representative (not case-control) sample. The robust findings despite control for other adversities is consistent with research that finds that maladaptive family functioning (characterized by parental psychological disorder/criminality or childhood maltreatment) influences substance use involvement more than other childhood adversities (e.g., parental death, divorce) (44).
