Childhood adversity, suicidality, and substance use: links to impulsivity

Both childhood maltreatment and impulsivity have emerged as environmental risk factors for the development of maladaptive outcomes, including suicidal behavior and problematic substance use, among others. This chapter presents studies that have examined suicidality and/or substance use in relation to childhood maltreatment, and the potential role of impulsivity as mediator in these relationships. Accordingly, several scholarly articles were selected from the following databases: WorldCat, PsycInfo, and Google Scholar. The articles are summarized in this chapter to provide a brief overview and key findings. Generally, almost all studies support the findings that there is a positive association between childhood maltreatment and impulsivity and suggest that impulsivity may be an underlying mechanism partially mediating the relationships between childhood maltreatment and suicidal behavior, as well as the relationship between childhood maltreatment and substance use. Emotional abuse, in particular, seemed to be the form of childhood maltreatment most strongly associated with impulsivity. The findings provide insight on the multidimensional nature of both childhood maltreatment and impulsivity, and how various subtypes of both variables differentially relate to suicidal behavior and substance use. Suggestions for future research are also provided in this chapter.