Assessing traumatic experiences in screening for PTSD in substance use disorder patients: What is the gain in addition to PTSD symptoms?

Traumatic experiences have been linked with substance use disorders (SUD) and may be an important factor in the perpetuation of SUD, even in the absence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. The purpose of the current study was to examine the relationship between childhood trauma and substance use severity in 192 SUD inpatients. Childhood trauma was assessed using the Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC). With variables derived from this measure in addition to PTSD symptoms, two regression models were created with alcohol use or drug use severity as dependent variables. Alcohol severity was explained by PTSD symptoms as well as the age of trauma. Drug severity was explained solely by PTSD symptoms. The clinical value of assessing childhood trauma in determining the addiction severity appears to be limited in comparison with PTSD symptoms.