A study has found that children who deal with hardships such as abuse, divorce or substance abuse in the home may be more likely to begin using alcohol at a young age, Reuters Health reported Aug. 11.

Researchers for the study of 3,600 Americans ages 18 to 39 were able to link earlier onset of drinking to five specific childhood experiences: physical abuse, sexual abuse, living with a family member with mental illness, substance abuse in the home, and parents' divorce or separation.

Adults who reported having any of these experiences were more likely to have used alcohol before the age of 15 and also were more likely to have used alcohol in order to cope with their problems. The researchers said their findings are important in identifying particularly problematic issues in childhood and in pointing to early activities that can shape drinking patterns well into adulthood.

Researchers led by Emily Rothman, Sc.D., of the Boston University School of Public Health, found in their analysis of adults who were current or former drinkers that childhood abuse had the strongest association with early drinking. The risk of starting drinking before age 15 was two to three times higher for children who had experienced abuse.

Having a family member with a mental illness or substance abuse problem was the factor causing the next highest level of risk for early drinking.

Rothman and colleagues emphasized that these factors do not increase the risk of early drinking as a coping mechanism for all young people, adding that a lack of adult supervision might be linked with children's early drinking experiences. This would be the case particularly for a parent with mental illness who might not be capable of monitoring a child's activities, they stated.

Study results were published in the August issue of Pediatrics.