The Role of Alcohol Dependence and Depressive Disorder in Childhood Adversities and Reproductive History Traits in Inpatient Women: a Mediation Analyses

Patients with alcohol dependence and depressive disorder are known to report a higher number of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and show differences in reproductive history compared to the general population. Males and females differ in both prevalence of ACEs and their way of coping with them. The present study tested the indirect effects of ACEs (measured by graded and cumulative effects, i.e., ≥ 4 vs. ˂ 4 of 13 ACE categories and by childhood physical and sexual abuse alone) on reproductive history (age at first intercourse, lifetime number of sex partners, age at first pregnancy, planning the first pregnancy, lifetime number of pregnancies, lifetime number of children, ever getting married, age at first marriage) mediated by alcohol dependence, depressive disorder, and lack of psychiatric history in 126 adult females. Six significant mediation models were found for the indirect effect of ACEs (graded and cumulative effect and childhood physical abuse alone) on age at first intercourse via alcohol dependence and lack of psychiatric history. Path analyses showed that alcohol dependence was a partial mediator and lack of psychiatric history was a complete mediator between ACEs’ graded and cumulative effects on age at first intercourse. The mediating effects of alcohol dependence and lack of psychiatric history were complete for direct effects between physical abuse and age at first intercourse. This study is the first to document the indirect role of ACEs on age at first intercourse via alcohol dependence and lack of psychiatric history in adult females.