Citation

Schneider R, Cronkite R, Timko C. J. Subst. Abuse Treat. 2008; 35(4): 353-361.

Affiliation

Center for Health Care Evaluation, VA Palo Alto Health Care System and Stanford University School of Medicine, Menlo Park, CA 94025, USA. renee.schneider@stanford.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jsat.2008.01.001

PMID

18342478

Abstract

Although lifetime physical and sexual abuse are common among substance use disorder (SUD) patients, few studies have examined the impact of abuse on treatment outcomes, particularly for men. Men with lifetime physical (n = 49), sexual (n = 49), or no abuse (n = 117) history were assessed at entry to outpatient SUD treatment and at 6 and 12 months postintake. Men with a history of physical or sexual abuse had more severe drug problems at intake, but by 6 months, there were no group differences in drug use. However, relative to men without an abuse history, men with a sexual abuse history had more severe psychiatric problems at all three time points and were more likely to report significant suicidality at intake and 6 months. Findings suggest that men with a history of sexual abuse benefit from SUD treatment, but additional intervention may be warranted to remedy persisting psychiatric distress.

Language: en