title: Childhood trauma, PTSD, and problematic alcohol and substance use in low-income, African-American men and women.
abstract: Previous studies demonstrate that PTSD mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and alcohol and substance use disorders and that PTSD and alcohol/substance use comorbidity is greater in men than in women. We sought to replicate and extend these findings in a predominantly low-income, African-American sample recruited from a public hospital. We administered measures of childhood trauma, PTSD symptoms, problematic alcohol use, and problematic substance use to 803 men and 2084 women. We examined rates of comorbidity in men and women. Next, two bootstrap analyses were used to test whether PTSD is a mediator between childhood trauma and problematic alcohol use and between childhood trauma and problematic substance use. Finally, two bootstrap analyses were used to test whether gender would moderate the indirect effect of PTSD in both the alcohol and substance use models. Results showed that although men and women reported similar overall PTSD symptom frequency, men were more likely than women to report PTSD comorbid with alcohol and/or substance use problems. In addition, PTSD partially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and problematic alcohol use and between childhood trauma and problematic substance use. The indirect effects of PTSD on the relationship between childhood trauma and problematic alcohol use and between childhood trauma and problematic substance use were greater in men. This study demonstrates the important interplay of gender, childhood trauma, PTSD, and alcohol and substance use. Mental health providers should consider childhood trauma histories and diagnostic comorbidities when treatment planning.
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
authors: Dorthie
authors: D
authors: Cross
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
authors: Thomas
authors: T
authors: Crow
authors: Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
authors: Abigail
authors: A
authors: Powers
authors: Atlanta VA Medical Center, USA; Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, USA.
authors: Bekh
authors: B
authors: Bradley
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000069586:Adult Survivors of Child Adverse Events / Q000523:psychology; D001741:Black or African American / Q000208:ethnology; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D002648:Child; D002649:Child Abuse / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D005845:Georgia / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011203:Poverty; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000208:ethnology*; D019966:Substance-Related Disorders / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology
keywords: Alcohol; Childhood trauma; Gender; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Substance