Substance Use among Adolescents in Child Welfare versus Adolescents in the General Population: A Comparison of the Maltreatment and Adolescent Pathways (MAP) Longitudinal Study and the Ontario Student Drug Use Survey (OSDUS) Datasets

It is well established that many adolescents use alcohol and drugs. The likelihood of substance use problems in adolescence and adulthood increases with several risk factors, including childhood maltreatment, indicated by physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and/or neglect. With 15% of reported child welfare cases having confirmed caregiver alcohol and/or other drug abuse, youth involved with the child welfare system are an at-risk group for substance abuse and substance use-related problems, such as academic problems, unsafe sex practices, driving under the influence of alcohol or other drugs, getting into fights, and dating violence. Despite research confirming increased risk of substance abuse among youth involved in child welfare and those with histories of childhood maltreatment, to date, the impact of child welfare involvement and maltreatment on substance use among Ontario youth is not well documented.

The purpose of this study was to examine:

• differences in substance use among youth involved with the child welfare system compared with youth who are not;
• the specific relationship between childhood maltreatment experiences and substance use;
• gender differences in substance use between youth involved with the child welfare system and youth who are not;
• and the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and substance use.