Childhood Emotional Abuse and Alcohol Use in Young Adults
Disciplines
Biological Psychology | Child Psychology | Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Childhood emotional abuse (i.e., sustained exposure to psychological maltreatment from caregivers) has been linked to depression, anxiety and problematic alcohol use in later life. However, there is limited understanding of neurobiological factors leading to these adverse outcomes. The acoustic startle response is a reflex that is modulated by neural systems implicated in emotion regulation. The goal of the current study is to examine the relationships among childhood emotional abuse, alcohol use, and acoustic startle response in college students. Participants were recruited from Kennesaw State University’s Research Participation System. They completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Kreek McHugh Schluger Kellogg scale (KMSK scale). KMSK measures the overall degree of self-exposure (frequency, duration, and amount) of alcohol during the period of time when an individual is drinking the most. It is hypothesized that individuals with higher exposure to childhood emotional abuse will report higher alcohol use and show higher startle responses. Such findings could contribute to identifying the neurobiological mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment with later alcohol use in young adults.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
RCHSS - Psychological Science
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Ebony Glover
Childhood Emotional Abuse and Alcohol Use in Young Adults
Childhood emotional abuse (i.e., sustained exposure to psychological maltreatment from caregivers) has been linked to depression, anxiety and problematic alcohol use in later life. However, there is limited understanding of neurobiological factors leading to these adverse outcomes. The acoustic startle response is a reflex that is modulated by neural systems implicated in emotion regulation. The goal of the current study is to examine the relationships among childhood emotional abuse, alcohol use, and acoustic startle response in college students. Participants were recruited from Kennesaw State University’s Research Participation System. They completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Kreek McHugh Schluger Kellogg scale (KMSK scale). KMSK measures the overall degree of self-exposure (frequency, duration, and amount) of alcohol during the period of time when an individual is drinking the most. It is hypothesized that individuals with higher exposure to childhood emotional abuse will report higher alcohol use and show higher startle responses. Such findings could contribute to identifying the neurobiological mechanisms linking childhood maltreatment with later alcohol use in young adults.