Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans in Substance Use Disorder Treatment.

Young LB, Timko C, Pulido RD, Tyler KA, Beaumont C, Grant KM. Traumatic Childhood Experiences and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Among Veterans in Substance Use Disorder Treatment. Journal of interpersonal violence. 2021 Dec 1; 36(23-24):NP12665-NP12685.

Related HSR&D Project(s)

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) dramatically increases the risk of both substance use disorder (SUD) and suicide in veterans. Military-related trauma, however, may not be the only or most significant trauma experienced by veterans. Trauma exposure is high among those joining the military. This study sought to identify the prevalence of five types of childhood trauma (emotional, physical, and sexual abuse and emotional and physical neglect) and three adult trauma symptom clusters (intrusive thoughts, avoidance, and hyperarousal) among veterans seeking SUD treatment and to clarify the associations between types of trauma and specific symptom clusters. Veterans at three Veterans Affairs (VA) SUD treatment facilities in the Midwest completed surveys at treatment entry ( = 195) and at 6-month follow-up ( = 138). Measures included the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form and the PTSD Checklist, either a military or a civilian version, depending on whether the most traumatic event occurred in or out of the military. The prevalence of childhood trauma was high, ranging from 40.5% experiencing physical abuse down to 22.8% experiencing sexual abuse. At baseline, 60.2% of the military trauma group met criteria for PTSD, compared with 33.9% of the civilian trauma group, a significant difference, ?(1, = 195) = 14.46, < .01. Childhood emotional and physical abuse were moderately associated with intrusion and hyperarousal in the military trauma group, but in the civilian trauma group a broader spectrum of childhood traumas were associated with a broader array of symptom clusters, including avoidance. At follow-up, symptoms improved and were less associated with childhood trauma. These findings illuminate the persistence of effects of childhood trauma and recommend more targeted PTSD treatments.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.