Short communication Adverse childhood events, substance abuse, and measures of affiliation Cheryl Zlotnick a,b, * , Tammy Tam a , Marjorie J. Robertson a a Alcohol Research Group-Public Health Institute, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA b Center for the Vulnerable Child, Children’s Hospital and Research Center at Oakland, 747 52nd Street, Oakland, CA 94609-1809, USA Abstract Adverse childhood events may influence later behaviors, including adulthood substance use and social affiliation. Studies have noted high prevalence rates of adverse childhood experiences and adulthood substance abuse among homeless adults. Using an existing longitudinal, countywide probability sample of 397 homeless adults, we examine the relationships among adverse childhood events on adulthood substance use, and the relationship of these variables to affiliation. Almost 75% of the sample had experienced an adverse childhood event. Path analysis indicated adulthood substance abuse mediated the inverse relationship between adverse childhood events and two measures of adulthood affiliation. Thus, although there is a relationship between adverse childhood events and adulthood substance use, it is adulthood substance use that determines most aspects of affiliation. D 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Keywords: Homelessness; Alcohol; Substance use; Foster care; Social affiliation 1. Introduction Substance abuse is a common problem among homeless adults that too often is associated with decreased social affiliation and abdication of social roles, such as worker, resulting in unemployment and as parent, resulting in loss of parental rights and foster care placement. Equally interesting is the repeated finding that a disproportionate number of homeless adult men and women have experienced adverse childhood events. Thus, we used an existing 0306-4603/$ – see front matter D 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. doi:10.1016/j.addbeh.2004.01.005 * Corresponding author. Alcohol Research Group-Public Health Institute, 2000 Hearst Avenue, Berkeley, CA 94709, USA. Tel.: +1-510-428-3783; fax: +1-510-601-3913. E-mail address: czlotnick@aol.com (C. Zlotnick). Addictive Behaviors 29 (2004) 1177– 1181