Author(s)

Larissa Bessani Hidalgo Gimenez¹, Renata Cristina de Campos Pereira Silveira², Danilo Caetano Albino da Silva³, Edilaine Cristina da Silva Gherardi-Donato^1*

¹Department of Psychiatric Nursing and Human Sciences, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
²Departament of Fundamental Nursing, University of São Paulo at Ribeirão Preto College of Nursing, Ribeirao Preto, Brazil.
³Itapevi Diagnostic Imaging Center, São Paulo, Brazil.

Purpose: To identify, analyze and synthetize the scientific evidences that support Early Life Stress (ELS) diagnosis using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), since it assumes the use of psychoactive substances later in adolescence and adulthood. Individuals that experienced some form of childhood stress may present, in adulthood, consequences that manifest into mental disorders such as problematic use of psychoactive substances. Methods: An integrative review of the literature on the subject in the databases: PubMed, Web of Science, LILACS and Psycinfo, regards studies that have been indexed in the last ten years (2003-2014). Combination of controlled and uncontrolled factors in the use and abuse of psychoactive substances, CTQ and ELS adapted to each database. Findings: The alcohol was the most used drug by the participating subjects of these research; mostly, the use of psychoactive drugs, started when they were still in adolescence; ELS and the later use of psychoactive drugs can be found more frequently in female; the lack of internal resources for dealing with stress in adulthood after ELS occurrence may have as a consequence the use of psychoactive drugs as a coping mechanism. Conclusions: It was possible to identify scientific evidences that support the ELS diagnosis, measured by the CTQ, as a determining factor for the use and abuse of alcohol and/or other psychoactive drugs in adolescence and adulthood. Implications: Investigate the ELS as a strategy to improve the therapeutic project of patients in nursing care, which will be built based on scientific evidence, so it can be more effective.

Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Early Life Stress, Evidence-Based Practice, Substance Abuse

Gimenez, L.B.H., Silveira, R.C.C.P., Silva, D.C.A. and Gherardi-Donato, E.C.S. (2016) Early Life Stress as Factor for Use of Psychoactive Substances: Integrative Review. Open Journal of Nursing, 6, 921-936. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2016.611089.