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Selected socio-economic factors and adverse childhood experiences in students from Romania and Montenegro (n=3,283).

Factor group/factor Category N(%)
SOCIO-ECONOMIC FACTORS
Gender Females 1,899(57.8%)
Males 1,384(42.2%)
Age (years) 18–19 1,167(35.5%)
20–21 1,084(33.0%)
22–23 666(20.3%)
24–29 366(11.1%)
Mother’s education No school/elementary/some high school 620(19.0%)
Completed high school 1,539(47.2%)
Some college/high school/university or more 1,102(33.8%)
Father’s education No school/elementary/some high school 653(20.0%)
Completed high school 1,362(41.8%)
Some college/high school/university or more 1,246(38.2%)
Mother’s employment status Employed 2,363(73.2%)
Unemployed 865(26.8%)
Father’s employment status Employed 2,688(85.5%)
Unemployed 457(14.5%)
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
• CHILD MALTREATMENT GROUP EXPERIENCES
Physical neglect experiences 99(3.1%)
Frequently* didn’t have enough to eat Yes 50(1.5%)
Frequently had to wear dirty clothes Yes
Frequently no person to take to the doctor if necessary Yes 172(5.4%)
Physical abuse experiences
Frequently being pushed, grabbed, etc., by somebody Yes 104(3.4%)
Frequently being hit so hard to have marks or being injured Yes 419(13.7%)
Frequently being spanked Yes 1,120(34.6%)
Emotional neglect experiences
Frequently felt not loved Yes 163(5.1%)
Frequently parents wished had never been born Yes 120(3.7%)
Frequently being hated by someone in the family Yes 271(8.4%)
Emotional abuse experiences
Frequently being sworn at, insulted, or put down Yes 180(5.8%)
Frequently being afraid that might be physically hurt Yes 114(3.7%)
Frequently being called “lazy” or “ugly” Yes 280(8.7%)
Sexual abuse experiences
Experienced an attempt of or actual sexual intercourse Yes 128(4.4%)
• HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION GROUP EXPERIENCES
Substance abuse by household member experiences
Lived with a problematic drinker or alcoholic Yes 556(17.2%)
Lived with someone who used street drugs Yes 93(2.9%)
Mental health problems of household member experiences
Lived with somebody depressed or mentally ill Yes 257(7.9%)
Experienced a suicide attempt in the household Yes 133(4.1%)
Violence against mother experiences
Frequently experienced pushing, grabbing, slapping mother, etc. Yes 111(3.4%)
Frequently experienced kicking, biting, hitting mother Yes 192(6.0%)
Frequently experienced repeated hitting of mother Yes 236(7.4%)
Frequently experienced threatening mother Yes 119(3.7%)
Family separation experiences
Family status Primary family complete 2,763(85.6%)
Parents divorced, no new partners 286(8.9%)
Parents divorced, stepfather 118(3.7%)
Parents divorced, stepmother 26(0.8%)
Parents divorced, stepfather and stepmother 14(0.4%)
Foster family 20(0.6%)
Criminal behaviour by household member experiences
Experienced an incarceration of household member Yes 154(4.7%)
Experienced a commitment of a crime by household member Yes 82(2.5%)

Prevalence of alcohol use (as %), in students from Romania and Montenegro (n=3,283), along with results of univariate analysis of relationship between alcohol use and risk factors.

Factor Category Prevalence OR (95% CI limits for OR) p
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
• CHILD MALTREATMENT GROUP
Physical neglect experiences
Frequently* did not have enough to eat No (RC) 78.9%
Yes 80.6% 1.12(0.67–1.85) 0.675
Frequently had to wear dirty clothes No (RC) 78.7%
Yes 84.0% 1.42(0.66–3.04) 0.364
Frequently not present to take to the doctor if necessary No (RC) 79.0%
Yes 76.0% 0.84(0.59-1.21) 0.350
Physical abuse experiences
Frequently being pushed, grabbed, etc., by somebody No (RC) 79.2%
Yes 90.2% 2.42(1.25–4.67) 0.009
Frequently being hit so hard to have marks or being injured No (RC) 78.6%
Yes 86.0% 1.67(1.25–2.24) 0.001
Frequently being spanked No (RC) 75.9%
Yes 84.3% 1.71(1.42–2.07) <0.001
Emotional neglect experiences
Frequently felt not loved No (RC) 78.5%
Yes 83.2% 1.36(0.89–2.07) 0.157
Frequently parents wished had never been born No (RC) 78.6%
Yes 82.4% 1.27(0.79–2.05) 0.326
Frequently being hated by someone in the family No (RC) 78.1%
Yes 85.3% 1.63(1.15–2.32) 0.006
Emotional abuse experiences
Frequently being sworn at, insulted, or put down No (RC) 78.9%
Yes 88.1% 1.99(1.25–3.16) 0.004
Frequently being afraid that might be physically hurt No (RC) 79.2%
Yes 90.2% 2.41(1.29–4.52) 0.006
Frequently being called “lazy” or “ugly” No (RC) 78.3%
Yes 83.8% 1.43(1.03–1.99) 0.035
Sexual abuse experiences
Experienced an attempt of or actual sexual intercourse No (RC) 78.7%
Yes 85.0% 1.56(0.95–2.56) 0.080
• HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION GROUP
Substance abuse by household member
Lived with a problematic drinker or alcoholic No (RC) 77.2%
Yes 87.5% 2.06(1.57–2.69) <0.001
Lived with someone who used street drugs No (RC) 78.5%
Yes 88.0% 2.01(1.07–3.78) 0.031
Mental health problems of household member
Lived with somebody depressed or mentally ill No (RC) 77.9%
Yes 88.6% 2.21(1.48–3.28) <0.001
Experienced a suicide attempt in the household No (RC) 78.4%
Yes 87.0% 1.85(1.10–3.10) 0.020
Violence against mother
Frequently experienced pushing, grabbing, slapping mother, etc. No (RC) 78.4%
Yes 86.9% 1.83(1.04–3.23) 0.038
Frequently experienced kicking, biting, hitting mother No (RC) 78.0%
Yes 88.7% 2.22(1.40–3.52) 0.001
Frequently experienced repeated hitting of mother No (RC) 78.1%
Yes 85.3% 1.63(1.12–2.36) 0.011
Frequently experienced threatening mother No (RC) 78.4%
Yes 88.8% 2.18(1.22–3.91) 0.009
Family separation Primary family complete (RC) 77.3%
Family status Parents divorced, no new partners 86.6% 1.91(1.34–2.71) <0.001
Parents divorced, stepfather 90.5% 2.81(1.50–5.26) 0.001
Parents divorced, stepmother 84.0% 1.52(0.53–4.52) 0.427
Parents divorced, stepfather and stepmother 85.7% 1.77(0.39–7.91) 0.458
Foster family 75.0% 0.88(0.32–2.44) 0.810
Criminal behaviour by household member
Experienced an incarceration of a household member No (RC) 78.5%
Yes 84.2% 1.46(0.94–2.28) 0.094
Experienced a commitment of a crime by a household member No (RC) 78.4%
Yes 91.4% 2.91(1.33–6.34) 0.007
CONFOUNDING FACTORS
Country Romania (RC) 86.6%
Montenegro 69.6% 0.35(0.30–0.42) <0.001
Gender Female (RC) 71.8%
Male 88.4% 2.98(2.45–3.62) <0.001
Age (years) 18–19 (RC) 68.9%
20–21 83.1% 2.00(1.25–3.20) 0.004
22–23 84.6% 2.10(1.26–3.52) 0.004
24–29 87.2% 1.25(0.61–2.53) 0.541
Mother’s education No school or elementary/some high school (RC) 77.7%
Completed high school 76.9% 0.76(0.59–0.97) 0.029
Some college or high school/university or more 82.1% 0.72(0.60–0.88) 0.001
Father’s education No school or elementary/some high school (RC) 79.2%
Completed high school 76.5% 0.90(0.71–1.14) 0.369
Some college or high school/university or more 80.9% 0.77(0.63–0.93) 0.006
Mother’s employment status Employed (RC) 81.3%
Unemployed 72.1% 0.59(0.50–0.71) <0.001
Father’s employment status Employed (RC) 78.7%
Unemployed 81.4% 1.19(0.92–1.53) 0.191

Results of multiple stepwise logistic regression (Forward Selection Likelihood Ratio method) of relationship between use of alcohol and adverse childhood experiences adjusted to confounding factors in a sample of students from Romania and Montenegro (n=2,437).

Factor Category OR (95% CI limits for OR) p
ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES
• CHILD MALTREATMENT GROUP
Frequently no person to take to the doctor if necessary No (RC)
Yes 0.58(0.35–0.95) 0.031
Frequently being hit so hard to have marks or being injured No (RC)
Yes 1.68(1.12–2.52) 0.012
Frequently being spanked No (RC)
Yes 1.38(1.07–1.77) 0.012
• HOUSEHOLD DYSFUNCTION GROUP
Lived with a problematic drinker/alcoholic No (RC)
Yes 1.51(1.07–2.13) 0.019
Lived with somebody depressed or mentally ill No (RC)
Yes 2.85(1.59–5.10) <0.001
CONFOUNDING FACTORS
Country Romania (RC)
Montenegro 0.25(0.20–0.32) <0.001
Gender Males (RC)
Females 0.28(0.22–0.36) <0.001
Mother’s education No school/elementary/some high school (RC)
Completed high school 0.58(0.38–0.87) 0.009
Some college/high school/university or more 0.74(0.56–0.99) 0.043
Father’s education No school/elementary/some high school (RC)
Completed high school 0.61(0.41–0.91) 0.015
Some college/high school/university or more 0.87(0.66–1.15) 0.338
Mother’s employment status Employed (RC)
Unemployed 0.70(0.55-0.89) 0.003
eISSN:
1854-2476
Language:
English
Publication timeframe:
4 times per year
Journal Subjects:
Medicine, Clinical Medicine, Hygiene and Environmental Medicine