What topics does this cannabis study cover?

This study covers research on: Addiction, Mental Health.

Where was this research published?

Published in The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse on September 14, 2026.

Trauma and acculturation linked to substance use in Syrian teens

Q: What did this research study find?

In this **12-month prospective cohort**, Syrian-origin adolescents had higher baseline past-month use of tobacco, alcohol, *cannabis*, and amphetamine-type stimulants than matched Turkish controls.

Trauma exposure, acculturation stress, and tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulant use among Syrian-origin adolescents under temporary protection in Türkiye: a 12-month longitudinal mediation analysis.

The American journal of drug and alcohol abuse • September 14, 2026 • Relevant

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AI Summary

This prospective cohort study followed 250 Syrian-origin adolescents aged 12–18 under temporary protection in Türkiye and 150 matched non-Syrian Turkish adolescents for 12 months. It examined whether trauma exposure and acculturation stress were associated with past-month tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulant use. Syrian-origin adolescents had higher baseline use than controls, including tobacco use of 32% versus 15%; use was concentrated among those aged 16–18 years.

Over the follow-up period, tobacco, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulant use increased more among Syrian-origin adolescents than controls, while the alcohol difference over time was nonsignificant. Greater baseline trauma exposure was associated with higher odds of any past-month substance use at follow-up, and acculturation stress statistically mediated 28% of this association. These findings support the study’s conclusion that substance use was elevated, persistent, and age-concentrated, but the observational design cannot establish that trauma or acculturation stress caused substance use or that screening and referral would prevent it. This is an abstract-based summary; the full paper was not reviewed.

💡 Key Findings

In this 12-month prospective cohort, Syrian-origin adolescents had higher baseline past-month use of tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulants than matched Turkish controls.

High

82%

Use of tobacco, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulants increased more over time among Syrian-origin adolescents; the alcohol group-by-time difference was nonsignificant.

High

80%

Higher baseline trauma exposure was associated with greater odds of any past-month substance use at follow-up, with a total-effect OR of 2.69 per 1-SD increase in trauma score.

High

82%

Acculturation stress statistically mediated 28% of the association between trauma exposure and later substance use, but this mediation result does not establish causation.

Good

78%

📄 Original Abstract

Background: Adolescence is a critical window for substance-use initiation, and early initiation predicts later substance-use disorders, school disengagement, and long-term harm. Displaced adolescents accumulate trauma and post-migration adversity during this window, yet host-country longitudinal evidence remains limited. Türkiye hosts one of the largest Syrian populations under temporary protection.Objectives: We examined trauma exposure, acculturation stress, and 12-month substance-use trajectories among Syrian-origin adolescents under temporary protection in Türkiye, testing acculturation stress as a statistical mediator.Methods: In a prospective cohort study, 250 Syrian-origin adolescents aged 12-18 years (52% male) and 150 matched non-Syrian Turkish adolescents were assessed at baseline and 12 months using the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and an ARSMA-II-based acculturation-stress measure. Past-month tobacco, alcohol, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulant use were analyzed with generalized estimating equations, logistic regression, and counterfactual mediation.Results: Syrian-origin adolescents had higher baseline past-month use than controls (tobacco 32% vs 15%; aOR = 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.7; other aORs 1.9-4.2). Group-by-time interactions showed greater increases for tobacco, cannabis, and amphetamine-type stimulants (ORs 1.12-1.25, all p < .05); alcohol was nonsignificant. Use concentrated among 16-18-year-olds. Each 1-SD baseline CTQ increase raised odds of any past-month use at follow-up (total effect OR = 2.69, 95% CI 2.13-3.40); the direct effect was OR = 2.04 (95% CI 1.61-2.58), and acculturation stress mediated 28% (indirect OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.18-1.49).Conclusion: Substance use among displaced Syrian-origin adolescents was elevated, persistent, and age-concentrated. Pediatric and school health services can embed brief, bilingual, trauma-informed screening into routine visits and link identified adolescents - particularly those aged 16-18 years - to confidential, low-threshold referral pathways.