Abstract
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD) are frequently comorbid disorders. Given evidence that childhood traumas may be associated with broader, more severe psychological sequelae than later traumas, the present study examined whether the association between alcohol and trauma symptomatology is more pronounced among individuals with earlier trauma onsets in a sample of 42 childhood and adolescent trauma survivors diagnosed with comorbid AD-PTSD. As predicted, individuals reporting childhood traumas reported greater severity of trauma and alcohol symptoms and greater alcohol craving. These results suggest that individuals with childhood trauma histories may be particularly vulnerable to relapse following AD treatment. (Am J Addict 2006;15:422–425)
Notes
The findings of this research were presented at the 28th Annual Scientific Meeting of the Research Society on Alcoholism, Santa Barbara, Calif., June 25–30, 2005.
The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism or the University of Mississippi Medical Center.