THE INTERPLAY OF CHILDHOOD TRAUMA, OXYTOCIN, AND IMPULSIVITY IN PREDICTING THE ONSET OF METHAMPHETAMINE USE

Abstract Background Childhood trauma is associated with substance use disorders, including methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Oxytocin, involved in social bonding, stress regulation, and reward processing, may influence addiction vulnerability and impulsivity in individuals with a history of childhood trauma. Aims & Objective To investigate the relationships among childhood trauma, oxytocin levels, impulsivity, and the age of first methamphetamine use in individuals with MUD. Method The study included 298 male participants (148 individuals with MUD and 150 healthy controls) from both probation offices and psychiatric clinics. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), impulsivity with the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), and plasma oxytocin levels were obtained. Results Individuals with MUD exhibited higher levels of childhood trauma, impulsivity, and lower plasma oxytocin levels compared to healthy controls. Childhood trauma was associated with a younger age of first methamphetamine use, higher impulsivity, and lower oxytocin levels among individuals with MUD. Plasma oxytocin levels partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and both the age of first methamphetamine use and impulsivity. Serial mediation analysis demonstrated that oxytocin levels and impulsivity sequentially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and the age of first methamphetamine use. Discussion & Conclusions Findings indicate that lower oxytocin levels, consequent to early adversity, can lead to increased impulsivity and earlier initiation of methamphetamine use. Previous evidence indicates that oxytocin plays a crucial role in modulating stress response, emotion regulation, and social functioning, which could be affected by early life adversity on a more fundamental level, such as influencing neurocircuitry or methylation levels of the oxytocin receptor gene. These results emphasize oxytocin's influence on reward neurocircuitry and suggest that improving oxytocin levels could potentially ameliorate methamphetamine use-related risks, contributing to more effective prevention strategies for MUD. Future research should explore oxytocin and impulsivity-focused interventions to mitigate the effects of childhood trauma and reduce MUD development risk.