Childhood trauma tied to substance use and depression in college students

College students who experienced abuse, neglect or household instability as children are more likely to report depressive symptoms and to use multiple substances at the same time, according to research from Texas A&M University.

The study, published in the International Journal of Mental Health and Addiction, surveyed 2,155 full-time students who had consumed alcohol in the previous year. The sample was designed to reflect the national student population by age, sex and race or ethnicity. Participants answered questions about their alcohol and cannabis use, non-medical use of prescription stimulants such as Adderall, adverse childhood experiences and depressive symptoms.

Substance use emerged as widespread. Over a 30-day window, 73 per cent of respondents reported drinking alcohol, 52 per cent had used cannabis and 10 per cent reported non-medical use of prescription stimulants. About 24 per cent reported using alcohol and cannabis together, while roughly 6 per cent combined alcohol with stimulants.

Dr. Benjamin Montemayor, an assistant professor of health behaviour at the university's School of Public Health, said traumatic experiences in childhood can disrupt brain and body development tied to emotional regulation. That disruption, he said, can surface as depressive symptoms, which in turn may lead young people to use substances as a way of numbing their pain. He described the relationship between trauma, depression and substance use as causal.

Montemayor noted that the type of trauma matters. Abuse and neglect, recent literature suggests, may have a stronger link to alcohol use disorder than other forms of adversity, though the effect varies from person to person. Understanding which subtype a student experienced, he said, could shape how drinking patterns develop across different groups.

College itself can be a critical period, as students gain independence and decide whether to seek help or mask their feelings. Montemayor said the consequences often show up in academic life: missed classes, lateness and greater absenteeism, particularly when trauma leads to drinking. While health professionals may treat the underlying issue, he said, it tends to manifest in other ways.

He stressed that campuses already offer numerous support resources and urged students who recognise signs of abuse, neglect or household dysfunction in their own histories to use them. Because polysubstance use carries more risk than using any single substance alone, he added, effective responses must address each substance separately.