title: Are experiences of sexual violence related to special needs in patients with substance use disorders? A study in opioid-dependent patients.
abstract: A history of sexual violence has been related to more complex treatment needs in patients with substance use disorders (SUD). Most of the existing studies, however, included patients with various types of SUD, did not examine gender differences and focused on a small range of clinical domains. Our sample consisted of opioid-dependent outpatients treated during a three-year period in a German metropolitan region. The analysis was based on a local case register and included all patients for whom information on lifetime sexual violence was available (N=3531; 68.3% males). In a case-control design, patients with a history of sexual violence were compared to patients without these experiences regarding a wide range of clinical and social factors indicative of potential needs. Almost two thirds (65.6%) of the female patients and 10.9% of the males reported experiences of sexual violence. Victims differed from non-victims across a variety of domains, including more psychiatric symptoms and suicide attempts, more legal problems, financial and family problems, as well as a higher use of services. In contrast to a previous study among alcohol-dependent patients, no gender differences became apparent. Our findings suggest that experiences of sexual violence are an indicator for more complex needs in opioid-dependent patients of both genders. In addition to integrated trauma-informed approaches, an effort needs to be made to link addiction facilities to further institutions to meet these complex needs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany; Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany. Electronic address: i.schaefer@uke.de.
authors.forename: Ingo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Lil
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gromus
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Armita
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Atabaki
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Psychology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany.
authors.forename: Silke
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Pawils
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Uwe
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Verthein
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany; Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jens
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Reimer
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.affiliation: Center for Interdisciplinary Addiction Research, University of Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Marcus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Martens
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D019548:Crime Victims / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology; D009293:Opioid-Related Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012742:Sex Offenses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
keywords: Addiction; Dependence; Opioid; Sexual violence; Trauma