Heroin and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in a Women’s Treatment Facility: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The current study addressed treatment engagement, or lack thereof, for women in a residential substance use treatment facility who had co-occurring post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and heroin dependency diagnoses. Results indicated that having previous drug treatment was positively related to treatment engagement and children in care was marginally positively related to engagement, while stressors related to employment and education were a detriment to remaining engaged in treatment. Trends in participants’ family history indicated that (1) participants who had received previous mental health treatment, had a family history of mental health problems, and (2) use of multiple substances was marginally associated with a family history of drug use.

KEYWORDS:

• women
• substance use
• post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
• heroin
• treatment engagement
• feminist lens
• co-occurring disorder