Violência na infância, exposição a violência parental e abuso e/ou dependência de álcool na idade adulta*

This article analyses the association between the history of violence in childhood and alcohol abuse and dependence in adulthood. A multistage probabilistic sample was used to select 3,007 individuals aged 14 years or older, living in Brazil, between November 2005 and April 2006. Analyses showed an association between history of physical abuse and exposure to parental violence (p<0.001). A multinomial regression model showed a significant association between history of physical abuse in childhood and alcohol dependence in adulthood. The following variables have greater impact on the probability of alcohol dependence: male sex, exposure to parental violence and history of physical abuse. Thus, the higher the level of exposure, the greater the percentage of severe violence suffered in childhood. Results corroborate previous findings, which suggest the importance of a childhood history of violence in the etiology of disorders resulting from alcohol consumption.