Sinkevičius, Liudas Vincentas

Introduction. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are recognized risk factors for later substance use, yet data remain scarce – particularly regarding the differentiated effects of specific types of ACEs and their distinct associations with various psychoactive substances. Current study is one of the first in Lithuania to explore the associations between specific ACEs and substance use expression in young adulthood (ages 18–29), a developmental period defined by Arnett’s theory of emerging adulthood and full neurological maturation. Methods. This cross-sectional study included a total of 709 participants (26.5% male, 73.5% female) completed an online survey between September and November 2024. Substance use was assessed using validated instruments: AUDIT (alcohol), CUDIT-R (cannabis), ASSIST (other substances), and self-reported smoking behavior. ACEs were measured using a combination of adapted ACE questionnaire items) and the MACE scale, covering ten categories of childhood adversity. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was employed to examine predictive relationships. Results. Sexual abuse, physical neglect, emotional neglect, and physical abuse consistently predicted higher levels of alcohol, cannabis, and other substance use. Verbal abuse, conversely, showed significant negative associations across several substance categories. Smoking was positively associated with sexual abuse and negatively with witnessing interpersonal violence. Notably, a family history of addiction was not significantly related to substance use, suggesting that genetic predisposition may play a less central role than environmental or psychosocial factors. Conclusions. The findings underscore the differentiated impact of specific adverse childhood experiences on the use of various psychoactive substances. This highlights the necessity for further research that not only examines adverse experiences individually, but also explores the distinct associations between different types of psychoactive substances and these early life stressors. Such an approach is essential for uncovering substance-specific pathways and developing more targeted prevention and intervention strategies.

Statistical data demonstrate a concurrent rise in smoking prevalence and mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, which may be attributed to contemporary lifestyle factors, including social media and recent global events. This indicates a potential correlation between these trends, as individuals with mental disorders may engage in smoking as a form of self-medication to alleviate anxiety. However, smoking is harmful and increases the risk of many diseases. Therefore, smoking cessation strategies are increasingly being considered. Nicotine is a naturally produced alkaloid in plants that makes smoking so addictive. Unfortunately, the public’s lack of understanding of the effects of nicotine leads to misleading claims in the public and media about its biological effects. Thus, current narrative literature review is focused on the examination of the biological effects of organic nicotine from various angles, considering the psychological aspects of addiction and the immune system. Analysis of recent data showed that nicotine not only causes addiction but also has therapeutic benefits in certain diseases (depression, anxiety, schizophrenia) and has anti-inflammatory properties (autoimmunity, neurodegenerative diseases), and a deeper understanding and a broader approach to its effects is needed.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are recognized risk factors for later substance use. Yet, data remain scarce—particularly regarding the differentiated effects of specific types of ACEs and their distinct associations with various psychoactive substances. The current study is one of the first in Lithuania to explore the associations between specific ACEs and psychoactive substance use in young adulthood (ages 18–29). This cross-sectional study included a total of 709 participants who completed an online survey. ACEs were measured using a combination of adapted ACEs items and the MACE questionnaire. Substance use was assessed using self-reported instruments: CUDIT-R (cannabis), AUDIT (alcohol), ASSIST (heavy psychoactive substances), and nicotine use. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was chosen to examine predictive relationships. Results revealed that experiences of sexual abuse and physical maltreatment in childhood predicted higher levels of alcohol use in young adulthood. Sexual abuse was positively associated with nicotine, cannabis, and heavy psychoactive substance use, while witnessing interpersonal violence was only associated with higher nicotine use. However, verbal abuse showed significant negative associations across several substance categories. No significant associations were found between family addiction history and substance use. The absence of an important relationship between family history of addiction and substance use indicates that genetic factors may be less decisive than environmental or psychosocial conditions. The main findings of this study are that ACEs are not qualitatively equivalent to one another, so it is worth examining them separately, rather than summing them. Furthermore, based on the negative associations with verbal abuse and the generally statistically negative associations, we can assume that ACEs may not be the most important factors increasing substance use. Further studies should look for other factors that influence substance use.

  Background: Despite all efforts to ensure road safety, road deaths rank eighth in the world. More than 3,500 people die on the world's roads every day, almost 1.3 million. avoided deaths and around 50 million injuries annually. Aim  of  the  Study: The aim of the study was to investigate the links between risky driving and psychopathic traits. Materials  and  Methods: 257 drivers participated, ranged from 18 to 66 years. A multivariate linear regression analysis was performed to determine if psychopathy predicts risky driving. Methods used in the study: the Driving Behavior Questionnaire to measure risky driving and the Triarchial Psychopathic Measures Questionnaire to measure psychopathic traits. Results: Drivers with a higher degree of psychopathic disinhibition trait commit more driving errors, slips and lapses, aggressive and ordinary driving violations; Drivers with a higher degree of psychopathic meanness trait commit more aggressive and ordinary driving violations; Drivers with a higher degree of psychopathic boldness trait make fewer driving mistakes and have a lower overall risk of driving; Psychopathy traits can predict risky driving and the disinhibition trait of psychopathy has the highest prognostic value in predicting risky driving. Conclusion: Psychopathy traits shows relationship with risky driving and psychopathy trait disinhibition can prognose risky driving.