Academic Research · Plain-language review
An Umbrella Review of the Links Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Misuse
This paper brings together review-level evidence on adverse childhood experiences and substance misuse. It asks not only whether they are associated, but what psychological, relational, and social pathways may help explain the connection—and where prevention and recovery work might intervene.
What the researchers reviewed
Grummitt and colleagues conducted an umbrella review: a structured synthesis of existing reviews rather than a study of one new participant sample. The team examined review-level evidence about the relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and substance misuse, possible mechanisms linking them, and implications for prevention, treatment, and policy.
Umbrella reviews can show where a broad body of evidence converges. Their conclusions also depend on the quality, definitions, populations, and methods used by the reviews and studies beneath them.
What the evidence indicates
The review discusses several pathways that may help explain the association, including emotional distress, mental-health difficulties, emotion-regulation problems, externalizing behavior, parenting and family environments, peer relationships, and social conditions. These factors are not interchangeable, and they do not operate identically for every person.
Why this matters to From Roots to Resilience
The paper supports FRTR’s effort to help participants understand the possible function and history of a coping behavior while continuing to hold responsibility, consequences, and change in view.
Coping in context
Substance use may sometimes develop as an attempt to manage distress. Understanding that function can help identify healthier responses.
Points for change
Regulation skills, mental-health support, relationships, peer environments, and trauma-informed recovery may provide meaningful places to intervene.
Accountability remains
An explanation is not an excuse. Understanding where behavior came from can strengthen responsibility for what happens next.
What the review does not prove
The review does not show that ACEs inevitably cause addiction, that every person who misuses substances has an ACE history, or that trauma removes responsibility for harmful conduct. Much of the underlying evidence is observational, and studies differ in how they define and measure both ACEs and substance use.
The paper also did not evaluate FRTR. IWP uses it as evidence relevant to the curriculum’s subject matter and proposed learning pathways—not as evidence that FRTR itself produces a particular outcome.
Citation
Suggested citation:
Grummitt, L., Barrett, E., Kelly, E., and Newton, N. “An Umbrella Review of the Links Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Substance Misuse: What, Why, and Where Do We Go from Here?” Substance Abuse and Rehabilitation 13: 83–100 (2022). https://doi.org/10.2147/SAR.S341818