Childhood trauma and dissociation in patients with alcohol dependence, drug dependence, or both-A multi-center study.

The aims of this study were to examine the level of dissociative symptoms in patients with different substance related disorders (alcohol dependence, drug dependence, and combined alcohol and drug dependence), and to investigate the influence of potentially traumatic events in childhood, age, gender, and posttraumatic stress disorder on the relationship between dissociative symptoms and type of substance abuse. Of the 459 participants (59.7% male) 182 (39.7%) were alcohol-dependent (A), 154 (33.6%) were drug-dependent (D), and 123 (26.8%) were dependent on both, alcohol and drugs (AD) based on the DSM-IV criteria for a current diagnosis. Participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) and the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES). The International Diagnostics Checklist (IDCL) was administered to diagnose PTSD. Higher levels of dissociation were observed in patients with drug dependence as compared to patients with mere alcohol dependence (mean DES group A: 9.9+/-8.8; group D: 12.9+/-11.7; group AD: 15.1+/-11.3). However, when severity of potentially traumatic events in childhood, PTSD, age and gender were included in the analysis, the influence of the type of substance abuse did not prove to be statistically significant. The variable most strongly related to dissociative symptoms was severity of potentially traumatic events in childhood, in particular emotional abuse, even after controlling for PTSD and other potential confounders. It seems appropriate to screen SUD patients for dissociative symptoms, especially those with a more complex risk profile including (additional) drug abuse, female gender, younger age and most importantly a history of childhood trauma.

Schäfer I ，Langeland W ，Hissbach J ，Luedecke C ，Ohlmeier MD ，Chodzinski C ，Kemper U ，Keiper P ，Wedekind D ，Havemann-Reinecke U ，Teunissen S ，Weirich S ，Driessen M ，TRAUMAB-Study group ... -  《-》

Dissociative symptoms in alcohol-dependent patients: associations with childhood trauma and substance abuse characteristics.

Schäfer I ，Reininghaus U ，Langeland W ，Voss A ，Zieger N ，Haasen C ，Karow A ... -  《COMPREHENSIVE PSYCHIATRY》

Dissociative disorders and suicidality in psychiatric outpatients.

Foote B ，Smolin Y ，Neft DI ，Lipschitz D ... -  《-》

Co-morbid post-traumatic stress disorder in a substance misusing clinical population.

Reynolds M ，Mezey G ，Chapman M ，Wheeler M ，Drummond C ，Baldacchino A ... -  《DRUG AND ALCOHOL DEPENDENCE》

Lifetime PTSD and quality of life among alcohol-dependent men: impact of childhood emotional abuse and dissociation.

The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of lifetime posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), dissociation and a history of childhood trauma on quality of life (QoL) among men with alcohol dependency. A consecutive series of alcohol-dependent men (N=156) admitted to an inpatient treatment unit were screened using the Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test, the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale, the Dissociative Experiences Scale, and the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire. QoL was assessed using the Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form 36-item health survey. Fifty (32.1%) patients had lifetime diagnosis of PTSD. Besides problems related to severity of alcohol use, the lifetime PTSD group was impaired on several physical and mental components of QoL. While the lifetime PTSD group and remaining patients did not differ on reports of childhood trauma and dissociation, in lifetime PTSD group, dissociative patients had higher scores of childhood emotional abuse than those of the non-dissociative patients. In multivariate covariance analysis, both dissociation and lifetime PTSD predicted impairment in physical functioning, general health, vitality, and mental health components of QoL. Among alcohol-dependent men with lifetime PTSD, a history of childhood emotional abuse contributes to impairment of QoL through its relationship with dissociation.

Evren C ，Sar V ，Dalbudak E ，Cetin R ，Durkaya M ，Evren B ，Celik S ... -  《PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH》