Health Sciences Program Student Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Health Science

Copyright Statement

All rights reserved. This publication is intended for use solely by faculty, students, and staff of Nova Southeastern University. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, now known or later developed, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author or the publisher.

Department

College of Health Care Sciences – Health Science Department

First Advisor

Moya Alfonso

Date of original Performance / Presentation

January 2025

Publication Date / Copyright Date

1-1-2025

Abstract

Childhood trauma leads to many physical and psychological negative outcomes in adulthood. Child sexual abuse is considered a major source of childhood trauma. Being sexually abused as a child can lead to substance abuse, depression, and anxiety in adulthood. Few studies have been conducted on childhood abuse and excessive drinking. Furthermore, there is a lack of understanding of how gender, race, and socioeconomic status can contribute to drinking among adults who were abused as children. This investigator looked to address the gaps in the literature pertaining to childhood abuse and excessive alcohol use in adulthood. The main purpose of this quantitative retrospective study was to explore the relationship between childhood sexual abuse and excessive alcohol use in a sample of male and female participants 25 years to 34 years of age from the 2019 to 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). Secondary data comprised of cross-sectional self-reported data collected through the BRFSS were utilized to answer all seven research questions. In this dissertation study, the variables were childhood sexual abuse, excessive alcohol use, gender, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status (SES). The independent variable was sexual abuse, and the dependent variable was excessive alcohol use. Gender, race, ethnicity, and SES are covariates. Fisher’s exact test was utilized to determine if there was a relationship between childhood sexual abuse and excessive alcohol use. logistic regression analysis was conducted using the predictor variables of child sexual abuse (CSA), gender, age, race, ethnicity, and SES. There was no statistically significant relationship between CSA and excessive alcohol use among adults aged 25 years to 34 years old in the United States during the combined years 2019 and 2021. None of the predictor variables had an impact on CSA and excessive alcohol use.

Disciplines

Medicine and Health Sciences

Keywords

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs); Child Sexual Abuse (CSA); Excessive Alcohol Use; Trauma

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