The Role of Adverse Childhood Experiences and Corporal Punishment in Early Adulthood Depression and Substance Use among Ukrainian College Students

Violence against children is a worldwide problem, and a large body of research demonstrates both short-term and long-term negative outcomes. The present study employs structural equation modeling to examine the pathways from parents’ use of corporal punishment and childhood adverse experiences to depression and substance use in adulthood. Cross-sectional data were collected from a sample of 944 students (M_age = 19.16, 69% females) attending ten public universities in 27 Ukrainian regions. The model provided a good fit for the data: χ² (59, N = 944) = 189.49, p < 0.001, CFI = 0.96, TLI = 0.95, RMSEA = 0.048. Higher scores on adverse childhood experiences (ACE) maltreatment items (psychological, physical and sexual abuse during childhood; b =.26, p <.001) were associated with higher depression during adulthood. Higher depression scores were linked with higher multiple substance use (b =.17, p <.001). Childhood adverse experiences had significant standardized indirect effect, mediated by depression, on adulthood involvement in substance use (b = 0.043, p < 0.01). Findings from this research suggest that young adults in Ukraine who remember being maltreated as children have a higher risk to develop depression and engage in substance use as adults.