Adverse childhood experiences and risky behaviors in male college students

Abstract

Objective: The current study examined associations between ACEs and health-risk behaviors in male college students.

Participants:

795 men who attended a large southern public university.

Method:

One-way ANOVA was used to explore whether the ACEs of sexual abuse, exposure to interparental violence, household mental illness, and household substance abuse significantly affected male college students’ high risk drinking, number of sexual partners, and/or impulsivity.

Results:

Sexual abuse was significantly associated with all three measured outcomes and had the strongest associations of all assessed ACEs. Exposure to interparental violence was significantly associated only with number of sexual partners. Household substance abuse was significantly associated with high risk drinking and number of sexual partners. A simple linear regression revealed that for each additional ACE, students in the sample increased their risky behaviors.

Conclusions:

Results confirm a dose-response between ACEs and negative outcomes. Mindfulness training, policy/funding advocacy, and trauma-informed support are discussed as implications.

Keywords:

• Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs)
• alcohol misuse
• childhood trauma
• college students
• sexual risk-taking

Conflict of interest disclosure

The authors have no conflicts of interest to report. The authors confirm that the research presented in this article met the ethical guidelines, including adherence to the legal requirements, of the United States and received approval from the Institutional Review Board of Clemson University.

Additional information

Funding

This work was funded by Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.