Childhood abuse, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and alcohol misuse among African-American women

Abstract

The study explored associations among childhood abuse, post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), and alcohol misuse in a sample of low-income African-American women (N = 172). Using bootstrapping techniques, a mediation effect was found of childhood physical and emotional abuse on alcohol misuse via PTSS symptom severity, avoidance, and hyperarousal, as well as for childhood sexual abuse on alcohol misuse via PTSS symptom severity and hyperarousal. Our results suggest that PTSS indicators, particularly symptom severity and hyperarousal, may be important mechanisms underlying the association of experiences of abuse during childhood and alcohol misuse in adulthood.

Keywords:

• African-American women
• alcohol misuse
• childhood abuse
• low-income
• posttraumatic stress disorder

Additional information

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute of Mental Health (1R01MH078002-01A2, Group interviews for abused, suicidal Black women) awarded to the last author.