Citation

Hawke JM, Ford JD, Kaminer Y, Burke R. J. Child Adolesc. Trauma 2009; 2(1): 1.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1080/19361520802675801

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

This article examines the relationships among trauma histories and diagnoses of partial or full posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among 106 youths in outpatient treatment for alcohol use disorders (AUD). Subjects were 13 to 18 years old and were recruited from treatment facilities, schools, and juvenile corrections programs. Chi-square (χ2) tests and one-way analyses of variance examined prevalence estimates of exposure to traumatic stressors, PTSD status, and related characteristics. Pearson's correlation coefficients, K-Cluster procedure, and logistic regression examined correlates of PTSD status. Almost 90% reported a trauma history, and 13% met criteria for a PTSD diagnosis. Logistic regression analyses indicated that sexual abuse history, comorbid psychiatric symptom severity, and suicide ideation were associated with PTSD. These findings underscore the importance of addressing trauma with youths in AUD treatment.

Keywords: posttraumatic stress; adolescents; alcohol disorders; comorbidity