Trauma-related risk factors for substance abuse among male versus female young adults.

Clinical efforts to reduce risk for Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) among young adults rely on the empirical identification of risk factors for addictive behaviors in this population. Exposure to traumatic events and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) have been linked with SUDs in various populations. Emerging data, particularly from adolescent samples, suggest that traumatic event exposure increases risk for SUDs for young women, but not young men. The purpose of the current study was to examine trauma-related risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse among a national sample of young adults and compare such risk factors between men and women. Participants were 1753 young adults who participated in the 7-8 year follow-up telephone-based survey to the original National Survey of Adolescents. In the full sample, 29.1% met criteria for substance abuse. Trauma-related risk factors for alcohol and drug abuse differed for men and women. Clinical implications of these results are discussed.

Does Typography of Substance Abuse and Dependence Differ as a Function of Exposure to Child Maltreatment?

We investigated the link between child maltreatment, including child sexual assault (CSA) and child physical assault (CPA), and addiction-related symptomatology in a subsample of adolescents from the National Survey of Adolescents, all of whom met DSM-IV criteria for substance abuse or dependence (n=281). Over 60% of the sample reported a history of CSA and/or CPA. Results indicated significant differences in typography of substance abuse and dependence symptoms and rates of comorbid lifetime PTSD based on assault history, specific assault incident characteristics, and sex. Clinical implications for substance abusing youth with maltreatment histories are discussed.

Psychosis proneness, coping, and perceptions of social support.

The current study examined coping styles and perceived levels of social support in hypothetically psychosis-prone individuals. Results suggest that psychosis-prone individuals did not differ from a comparison group on levels of adaptive coping or positive social support but that they did endorse higher rates of nonadaptive coping and negative social support compared with the comparison group.

Stability of formal thought disorder and referential communication disturbances in schizophrenia.

This study examined the degree to which different types of communication disturbances in the speech of 48 schizophrenia patients and 28 controls were variable and state related versus stable and traitlike. Clinically rated formal thought disorder and 5 types of referential disturbance showed substantial stability within participants over time. The sixth type of referential disturbance, the vague reference, was not stable over time. Formal thought disorder was associated with the severity of core psychotic symptoms in patients. whereas referential disturbances showed little or no association with positive or negative symptom severity. Furthermore, changes in psychotic symptoms over time were accompanied by corresponding changes in formal thought disorder but not referential disturbances. These results support the idea that some types of referential disturbances are traitlike and may be reflective of vulnerability as well as manifest illness.