Keywords
child abuse
behavior
addictive
bibliometrics
Abstract
The aim of this study is to examine the trends and study topics in studies on addiction in individuals with childhood trauma between 1993-2025. Bibliometric analysis was performed based on 874 data taken from the Web of Science (WoS) database on February 26, 2025 in this study. Data and graphical presentations were prepared using the Bibliometrix Package in R software and VOSviewer. This study showed that studies on addiction in individuals with childhood trauma have increased over the years. Child Abuse & Neglect was the most productive journal and the United States was the most productive country. In studies conducted on addiction in individuals with childhood trauma, the words most frequently used by authors were abuse, risk, sexual abuse, prevalence, and maltreatment. This study is the first bibliometric study on addiction in individuals with childhood trauma and provides a 32-year perspective. In this study, it was observed that behavioral addictions have also been given importance in recent years and the popularity of terms such as dysregulation, interventions and resilience in the relationship between childhood trauma and addiction has increased over time. As the correlates of childhood trauma emerge, the focus of policy research has shifted to potential protective factors and intervention solutions.
References
Goodman A. Sexual addiction: designation and treatment. J Sex Marital Ther 1992; 18(4): 303–314.
Hwang JY, Jung HY, Kim DJ, et al. Shared psychological characteristics that are linked to aggression between patients with internet addiction and those with alcohol dependence. Ann Gen Psychiatry 2014; 13:6.
Kranzler HR, Li TK. What is addiction? Alcohol Res Health 2008; 31(2): 93–95.
Godier LR, Park RJ. Does compulsive behavior in anorexia nervosa resemble an addiction? A qualitative investigation. Front Psychol 2015; 6: 1608.
Kourosh AS, Harrington CR, Adinoff B. Tanning as a behavioral addiction. Am J Drug Alcohol Abuse 2010; 36(5): 284–290.
Nolan BV, Feldman SR. Ultraviolet tanning addiction. Dermatol Clin 2009; 27(2): 109–112.
Lewczuk K, Wizła M, Glica A, et al. Withdrawal and tolerance as related to compulsive sexual behavior disorder and problematic pornography use – preregistered study based on a nationally representative sample in Poland. J Behav Addict 2022; 11(4): 979–993.
Starcevic V, Aboujaoude E. Internet gaming disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and addiction. Curr Addict Rep 2017; 4: 317–322.
Butt A. Addiction: a complex syndrome. Journal of Fatima Jinnah Medical University 2024; 17(2): 37.
Liu JF, Li JX. Drug addiction: a curable mental disorder? Acta Pharmacol Sin 2018; 39(12): 1823–1829.
Filip M, Zaniewska M, Frankowska M, et al. . The importance of the adenosine A2A receptor-dopamine D2 receptor interaction in drug addiction. Curr Med Chem 2012; 19(3): 317–355.
Cai H, Zhao YJ, He F, et al. . Internet addiction and residual depressive symptoms among clinically stable adolescents with major psychiatric disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic: a network analysis perspective. Transl Psychiatry 2023; 13(1): 186.
Marazziti D, Dell’Osso L, Baroni S, et al. Behavioral addictions: a novel challenge for psychopharmacology. CNS Spectr 2014; 19(6): 486–495.
Freimuth M, Stannard J, Richardson A, et al.. Expanding the scope of dual diagnosis and co-addictions: behavioral addictions. J Groups Addict Recover 2008; 3(3–4): 137–160.
Lesch OM, Walter H, Wetschka C, et al. Aetiology of addiction. Alcohol and Tobacco: Medical and Sociological Aspects of Use, Abuse and Addiction 2011: 15–35.
Watters ER, Aloe AM, Wojciak AS. Examining the associations between childhood trauma, resilience, and depression: a multivariate meta-analysis. Trauma Violence Abuse 2023; 24(1): 231–244.
Janiri D, Moccia L, Dattoli L, et al. Emotional dysregulation mediates the impact of childhood trauma on psychological distress: first Italian data during the early phase of COVID-19 outbreak. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2021; 55(11): 1071–1078.
Gu W, Zhao Q, Yuan C, et al. Impact of adverse childhood experiences on the symptom severity of different mental disorders: a cross-diagnostic study. Gen Psychiatry 2022; 35(2): e100741.
Lu L, Jian S, Dong M, et al. Childhood trauma and suicidal ideation among Chinese university students: the mediating effect of internet addiction and school bullying victimisation. Epidemiol Psychiatr Sci 2020; 29: e152.
Wang Y, Wang X, Zhang H, Zhu B. Global research dynamics in urea cycle disorders: a bibliometric study highlighting key players and future directions. Orphanet J Rare Dis 2025; 20(1): 101.
Bukar UA, Sayeed MS, Razak SFA, et al. A method for analyzing text using VOSviewer. MethodsX 2023; 11: 102339.
Moral-Muñoz JA, Herrera-Viedma E, Santisteban-Espejo A, Cobo MJ. Software tools for conducting bibliometric analysis in science: an up-to-date review. Prof Inform 2020; 29(1): 1-20.
Hughes K, Bellis MA, Hardcastle KA, et al. The effect of multiple adverse childhood experiences on health: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Lancet Public Health 2017; 2(8): e356–e366.
Teicher MH, Samson JA. Childhood maltreatment and psychopathology: a case for ecophenotypic variants as clinically and neurobiologically distinct subtypes. Am J Psychiatry 2013; 170(10): 1114–1133.
Exner-Cortens D, Eckenrode J, Rothman E. Longitudinal associations between teen dating violence victimization and adverse health outcomes. Pediatrics 2013; 131(1): 71–78.
Burke SA. Exploring the long-term impact of childhood trauma: unseen consequences and paths to healing. Int J Psychiatry Res 2024; 7(4): 1-10.
Tang H, Li Y, Dong W, Guo X, et al. The relationship between childhood trauma and internet addiction in adolescents: a meta-analysis. J Behav Addict 2024. 13(1): 36-50.
Belsky J, Pluess M. Beyond risk, resilience, and dysregulation: phenotypic plasticity and human development. Dev Psychopathol 2013; 25(4 Pt 2): 1243–1261.
Rossi E, Cassioli E, Dani C, et al. The maltreated eco-phenotype of eating disorders: a new diagnostic specifier? A systematic review of the evidence and comprehensive description. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 160: 105619.
Guastaferro K, Linden-Carmichael AN, Chiang SC. Association between child maltreatment and substance use disorder across emerging adulthood. Child Maltreat 2024; 29(2): 340–349.
Afifi TO, Sareen J, Henriksen CA, Asmundson GJG. Childhood maltreatment and substance use disorders among men and women in a nationally representative sample. Can J Psychiatry 2012; 57(11): 677–686.
Cummings M, Scribano PV, Berkowitz SJ. Treatment of childhood sexual abuse: an updated review. Curr Psychiatry Rep 2012; 14(6): 599–607.
Felsher JR, Derevensky JL, Gupta R. Young adults with gambling problems: the impact of childhood maltreatment. Int J Ment Health Addict 2009; 8(4): 545–556.
Pan Y, Wu J, Zhang S, et al. Prevalence of childhood sexual abuse among women using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire: a worldwide meta-analysis. Trauma Violence Abuse 2020; 22(5): 1181–1191.
De la Peña-Arteaga V, Nogueira SO, Lynskey M, Hines LA. The relationship between childhood physical and sexual abuse and adolescent cannabis use: a systematic review. Front Psychiatry 2021; 12: 631245.
Afifi TO, Sareen J, Fortier J, et al.. Child maltreatment and eating disorders among men and women in adulthood: results from a nationally representative United States sample. Int J Eat Disord 2017; 50(11): 1281–1296.
Fernandes GS, Spiers A, Vaidya N, et al. Adverse childhood experiences and substance misuse in young people in India: results from the multisite cVEDA cohort. BMC Public Health 2021; 21: 1920.
Roos LE, Martin CG, Sareen J, et al. Linking typologies of childhood adversity to adult incarceration: findings from a nationally representative sample. Am J Orthopsychiatry 2016; 86(5): 584–593.
Hogg B, Gardoki-Souto I, Valiente-Gómez A, et al. Psychological trauma as a transdiagnostic risk factor for mental disorder: an umbrella meta-analysis. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2023; 273(2): 397–410.
VandenBos GR. APA Dictionary of Psychology. 2nd ed. Washington (DC): APA, 2015.
Hoover LV, Yu HP, Duval ER, Gearhardt AN. Childhood trauma and food addiction: the role of emotion regulation difficulties and gender differences. Appetite 2022; 177: 106137.
Hampton-Anderson JN, Carter S, Henry TL, et al. Adverse childhood experiences in African Americans: framework, practice, and policy. Am Psychol 2021; 76(2): 314–325.
Beutel ME, Klein EM, Reiner I, et al. Childhood adversities and distress – the role of resilience in a representative sample. Plos One 2017; 12(3): e0173826.
Ma J, Yang B, Wang S, et al. Adverse childhood experiences predict internet gaming disorder in university students: the mediating role of resilience. Curr Opin Psychiatry 2024; 37(1): 29–37.
Schiele MA, Ziegler C, Holitschke K, et al. Influence of 5-HTT variation, childhood trauma and self-efficacy on anxiety traits: a gene-environment-coping interaction study. J Neural Transm 2016; 123(8): 895–904.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Journal of Dependence