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Accumulating clinical evidence suggests that women with prior exposure to adverse childhood experiences are more susceptible to heavy drinking and other health‐related behaviors. Yet, preclinical studies investigating sex‐dependent effects of adolescent adverse social experiences (ASEs) on later alcohol‐seeking behavior are lacking. This is mainly due to the unavailability of valid animal models and a shortage of studies that compare effects in males and females. Therefore, we sought to investigate the sex‐dependent effects of ASE on adult alcohol‐seeking behavior, locomotion, and reward sensitivity in male and female rats.

We recently developed a rat model for childhood/adolescent peer rejection that allows us to study the long‐term consequences of ASEs. Adolescent Wistar rats were reared from postnatal day (pd) 21 to pd 50 either within a group of Fischer 344 rats (ASE) or …