Over three-quarters of the youth and young adults in this high-risk family study of alcohol and related disorders experienced at least one serious physical, sexual, and/or non-assaultive trauma before the age of 18. The most important finding was that in both White and African American youth, maternal AUD was associated with an elevated odds of sexual assault. This is especially concerning for females of both races, given females in general are already more likely to experience sexual assault than males. Findings from COGA generally support those from other studies of youth and young adults that demonstrate higher risks of physical assault and witnessed violence among Black males, and higher risks of sexual assault among females. Given that the measures used in this study reflect high severity on several items (e.g. physical assault defined as being shot, stabbed, mugged, and/or threatened with a weapon), the sheer prevalence of such traumatic experiences reported during childhood is concerning.
