Skip to main content
Log in

Violence, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder among women drug users

  • Published:
Journal of Traumatic Stress

Abstract

In order to examine the association between the experience of violent events, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder among women drug users, 105 women in treatment for addictive disorders were interviewed. One hundred four of the study participants reported trauma in 1 or more of 14 categories of traumatic events, 59% of whom reported symptoms consistent with a diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder. Among those with PTSD, 97% reported one or more violent traumas as compared with 73% of those without PTSD. The likelihood of PTSD was strongly associated with the number of violent traumas reported by a woman. Women in recovery from drug addiction are likely to have a history of violent trauma and are at high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Screening for PTSD among women with an addictive disorder should become part of the diagnostic and treatment routine.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amaro, H., Fried, L. E., Cabral, H., and Zuckerman, B. (1990). Violence during pregnancy and substance use.Am. J. Public Health 80(5): 575–579.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. (1987).Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders American Psychiatric Association Press, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Biernaki, P., and Waldorf, D. (1981). Snowball sampling: Problems and techniques of chain referral sampling.Sociol. Meth. Res. 10: 141–163.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boudewyns, P. A., Woods, M. G., Hyer, L., and Albrecht, J. W. (1991). Chronic combat-related PTSD and concurrent substance abuse: implications for treatment of the frequent “dual diagnosis.”J. Traum. Stress 4(4): 549–560.

    Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., and Davis, G. C. (1987). Posttraumatic stress disorder: The etiologic specificity of wartime stressors.Am. J. Psychiatry 144(5): 578–583.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Breslau, N., Davis, G. C., Andreski, P., and Peterson, E. (1991). Traumatic events and post-traumatic stress disorder in an urban population of young adults.Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 48: 261–222.

    Google Scholar 

  • Briere, J., and Zaidi, L. Y. (1989). Sexual abuse histories and sequelae in female psychiatric emergency room patients.Am. J. Psychiatry 146(12): 1602–1606.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cottler, L. B., Compton III, W. M., Mager, D., Spitznagel, E. L., and Janca, A. (1992). Post-traumatic stress disorder among substance users from the general population.Am. J. Psychiatry 149(5): 664–670.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • De La Rosa, M., Lambert, E. Y., and Gropper, B., Ed. (1990).Drugs and Violence: Causes, Correlates, and Consequences NIDA Research Monographs, US Department of Health and Human Services, Rockville, MD.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dembo, R., Williams, L., Wish, E. D., Dertke, M., Berry, E., Getreu, A., Washburn, M., and Schmeidler, J. (1988). The relationship between physical and sexual abuse and illicit drug use: a replication among a new sample of youths entering a juvenile detention center.Int. J. Addic. 23(11): 1101–1123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Druley, K. A., and Pashko, S. (1988). Post-traumatic stress disorder in World War II and Korean combat veterans with alcohol dependency.Rec. Devel. Alcohol 6: 89–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fullilove, M. T., Lown, E. A., and Fullilove, R. E. (1992). Crack 'hos and skeezers: Traumatic experiences of women crack users.J. Sex Res. 29: 275–287.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goldberg, J., True, W. R., Eisen, S. A., and Henderson, W. G. (1990). A twin study of the effects of the Vietnam War on posttraumatic stress disorder.J. Am. Med. Assoc. 263(9): 1227–1232.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hryvniak, M. R., and Rosse, R. B. (1989). Concurrent psychiatric illness in inpatients with post-traumatic stress disorder.Milit. Med. 154(8): 399–401.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hyer, L., Leach, P., Boudewyns, P. A., and Davis, H. (1991). Hidden PTSD in substance abuse inpatients among Vietnam veterans.J. Subst. Abuse Treatment 8: 213–219.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kolb, L. C. (1989). Chronic post-traumatic stress disorder: Implications of recent epidemiological and neuropsychological studies.Psychological Med. 19: 821–824.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kulka, R. A., Fairbank, J. A., Jordan, B. K., and Weiss, D. S. (1990).Trauma and the Vietnam War Generation Brunner/Mazel, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ladwig, G. B., and Andersen, M. D. (1992). Substance abuse in women: Relationship between chemical dependency of women and past reports of physical and/or sexual abuse. In Simpselle, C. M. (ed.),Violence Against Women Hemisphere, New York, pp. 167–179.

    Google Scholar 

  • McCord, C., and Freeman, H. P. (1990). Excess mortality in Harlem.New Engl. J. Med. 322(3): 173–177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • McFall, M. E., Mackay, P. W., and Donovan, D. M. (1991). Combat-related PTSD and psychosocial adjustment problems among substance abusing veterans.J. Nerv. Ment. Dis. 179(1): 33–38.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mollica, R., Wyshak, G., and Lavelle, J. (1987). The psychosocial impact of war trauma and torture on Southeast Asian refugees.Am. J. Psychiatry 144(12): 1567–1572.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Mullings, L. (ed.) (1987).Cities of the United States, Studies in Urban Anthropology Columbia University Press, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nader, K., Pynoos, R., Fairbanks, L., and Frederick, C. (1990). Children's PTSD reactions one year after a sniper attack at their school.Am. J. Psychiatry 147(11): 1526–1530.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Narcotics Anonymous. (1988).Narcotics Anonymous, NA World Service Office, Van Nuys, CA.

  • Paone, D., Chavkin, W., Willets, I., Friedman, P., and Des Jarlais, D. (1992). The impact of sexual abuse: Implications for drug treatment.J. Women's Health 1(2): 149–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Regier, D. A., Farmer, M. E., Rae, D. S., Locke, B. Z., Keith, S. J., Judd, L. L., and Goodwin, F. K. (1990). Comorbidity of mental disorders with alcohol and other drug abuse.J. Am. Med. Assoc. 264(19): 2511–2518.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ropp, L., Visintainer, P., Uman, J., and Treloar, D. (1992). Death in the city: An American childhood tragedy.J. Am. Med. Assoc. 267(21): 2905–2910.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rose, S. M., Peabody, C. G., and Stratigeas, B. (1991). Undetected abuse among intensive case management clients.Hosp. Commun. Psychiatry 42(5): 499–503.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sonnenberg, S. M. (1988). Victims of violence and post-traumatic stress disorder.Psychiatric Clinics of North America 11(4): 581–589.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Spitzer, R. L., Williams, J. B., Gibbon, M., and First, M. B. (1990).User's Guide for the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R American Psychiatry Press, Washington, DC.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wachtler, S. (1990). The State of the Judiciary, 1990. State of New York, Unified Court System.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, B. C. (1991).Crack Cocaine: A Practical Treatment Approach for the Chemically Dependent Brunner/Mazel, New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, R. (1988). A synergism of plagues: “Planned shrinkage,” contagious housing destruction, and AIDS in the Bronx.Environ. Res. 47: 1–33.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wallace, R. (1990). Urban desertification, public health and public order: ‘planned shrinkage,’ violent death, substance abuse and AIDS in the Bronx.Social Sci. Med. 31(7): 801–813.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

About this article

Cite this article

Fullilove, M.T., Fullilove, R.E., Smith, M. et al. Violence, trauma, and post-traumatic stress disorder among women drug users. J Trauma Stress 6, 533–543 (1993). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00974321

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00974321

Key Words

Navigation