Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Gearon, J. S. Articles by Bellack, A. S. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Gearon, J. S. Articles by Bellack, A. S. Dual Diagnosis Patients Addictive Disorders (General) Sexual Abuse Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Child Abuse Cocaine

Traumatic Life Events and PTSD Among Women With Substance Use Disorders and Schizophrenia

OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed the prevalence of traumatic life events and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and co-occurring substance abuse or dependence. The association between PTSD and specific traumatic life events was also examined. METHODS: Fifty-four drug-addicted women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder participated in the study. All women were psychiatric outpatients and completed a large battery of structured clinical assessments. RESULTS: High rates of trauma, particularly physical abuse (81 percent), and revictimization—being abused both as a child and as an adult—were reported. The average number of traumatic life events reported was eight, and almost three-quarters of the sample reported revictimization. Rates of current PTSD were considerably higher than those documented in previous study samples of persons with serious mental illness and of drug-addicted women in the general community. PTSD was significantly associated with childhood sexual abuse and revictimization. CONCLUSIONS: The high levels of trauma and revictimization observed in the study highlight the need for the development of evidence-based interventions to treat trauma and its aftermath among women with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. Given the overlap in symptoms between PTSD and schizophrenia, a better understanding is needed of how PTSD is expressed among people with schizophrenia. Recommendations and standards for the assessment of PTSD among this population need to be articulated. Finally, the comparatively high rates of PTSD suggest that the combination of schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and substance use disorder makes these women particularly vulnerable to adverse outcomes.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				P. F. Buckley, B. J. Miller, D. S. Lehrer, and D. J. Castle Psychiatric Comorbidities and Schizophrenia Schizophr Bull, March 1, 2009; 35(2): 383 - 402. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				K. L. Lombardo and R. W. Motta Secondary Trauma in Children of Parents with Mental Illness Traumatology, September 1, 2008; 14(3): 57 - 67. [Abstract] [PDF]

				S. Bendall, H. J. Jackson, C. A. Hulbert, and P. D. McGorry Childhood Trauma and Psychotic Disorders: a Systematic, Critical Review of the Evidence Schizophr Bull, May 1, 2008; 34(3): 568 - 579. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. O'Hare, Ce Shen, and M. Sherrer Validating the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Scale With Persons Who Have Severe Mental Illnesses Research on Social Work Practice, November 1, 2007; 17(6): 720 - 728. [Abstract] [PDF]

				J. Briere and C. E. Jordan Violence Against Women: Outcome Complexity and Implications for Assessment and Treatment J Interpers Violence, November 1, 2004; 19(11): 1252 - 1276. [Abstract] [PDF]

				R. Freedman Schizophrenia N. Engl. J. Med., October 30, 2003; 349(18): 1738 - 1749. [Full Text] [PDF]

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2003 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us