title: Psychological distress in childhood trauma survivors who abuse drugs.
abstract: The relationships between the level of childhood maltreatment and current psychological distress were examined in a community sample of 676 substance abusing men and women using a validated self-report instrument (the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire) designed to measure physical, emotional, and sexual abuse and physical and emotional neglect. Current levels of self-reported psychological distress/symptoms were measured using a 53-item Brief Symptom Inventory. Prevalence of early trauma ranged from 44% for emotional neglect to 65% for sexual abuse. The severity of all forms of childhood maltreatment were directly associated with current psychological distress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, USA.
authors.forename: Martha A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Medrano
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Hatch
authors.forename: William A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Zule
authors.forename: David P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Desmond
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors / Q000523:psychology*