Premium
From Betrayal to the Bottle: Investigating Possible Pathways From Trauma to Problematic Substance Use
Author(s) -
Delker Brianna C.,
Freyd Jennifer J.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of traumatic stress
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.259
H-Index - 134
eISSN - 1573-6598
pISSN - 0894-9867
DOI - 10.1002/jts.21959
Subject(s) - betrayal , psychology , clinical psychology , posttraumatic stress , poison control , substance use , psychiatry , interpersonal communication , injury prevention , medicine , social psychology , medical emergency
Research in both community and clinical settings has found that exposure to cumulative interpersonal trauma predicts substance use problems. Less is known about betrayal as a dimension of trauma exposure that predicts substance use, and about the behavioral and psychological pathways that explain the relation between trauma and substance use. In a sample of 362 young adults, this study evaluated three intervening pathways between betrayal trauma exposure prior to age 18 years and problematic substance use: (a) substance use to cope with negative affect, (b) difficulty discerning and/or heeding risk, and (c) self‐destructiveness. In addition, exposure to trauma low in betrayal (e.g., earthquake) was included in the model. Bootstrap tests of indirect effects revealed that betrayal trauma prior to age 18 years was associated with problematic substance use via posttraumatic stress and two intervening pathways: difficulty discerning/heeding risk (β = .07, p < .001), and self‐destructiveness (β = .12, p < .001). Exposure to lower betrayal trauma was not associated with posttraumatic stress or problematic substance use. Results contribute to a trauma‐informed understanding of substance use that persists despite potentially harmful consequences.