Childhood maltreatment found to cause substance use, suicide

Preventing child maltreatment can result in a reduction in substance use, suicide and mental disorders, research has found. The link between childhood maltreatment and adult depression has been known for some time, but this study shows that this maltreatment causes mental disorders and suicide. The study, published in the August 2024 issue of JAMA Psychiatry , took into account genetic and environmental confounding. For the study, “Burden of Mental Disorders and Suicide Attributable to Childhood Maltreatment,” maltreatment was defined as physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, or neglect before age 18.