Online Program

328146
Trauma prevalence and psychological distress among substance using women


Tuesday, November 3, 2015 : 4:30 p.m. - 4:50 p.m.

Wichada Hantanachaikul, MPH, CHES, Integrated Services to Avert Risk (ISTAR) Program, Safe Refuge, Long Beach, CA
Bridget Rogala, MPH, MCHES, Integrated Services to Avert Risk (ISTAR) Program, Safe Refuge, Long Beach, CA
Tyler Carroll, AA, CATC II, Integrated Services to Avert Risk (ISTAR) Program, Safe Refuge, Long Beach, CA
Eric Johnson, Safe Refuge, Long Beach, CA
Kathryn Romo, BA, Safe Refuge, Long Beach, CA
Objective: To examine past traumatic experiences in context of psychological distress among substance using women participating in the SAMSHA funded, Integrated Services to Avert Risk (ISTAR) program.

Methods: From October 2013 to January 2015 baseline data was collected for 110 women in an intensive outpatient substance abuse treatment program via the Preliminary Intake Assessment and the Government Performance and Results Act (GPRA) instrument.

Results:  Eighty percent (n=88) of the women reported past violent and/or traumatic experience(s). Those who reported trauma also reported having nightmares (81.8%), trying hard not to think about the event(s) (81.8%), being on guard (69.3%), and feeling numb and detached (69.3%) as consequence(s).  Additionally, 92.3% of women reported to be bothered by psychological distress in the past 30 days. Past trauma experience is concurrent with experiences of serious depression (64.8%), severe anxiety and tension (69.3%), and trouble understanding, concentrating or remembering (53.4%) in the past 30 days. Thirty percent of women self-reported mental health diagnosis that included depression (15.9%), bi-polar disorder (9.1%), anxiety (8%), schizophrenia (5.7%) and post-traumatic stress disorder (2%). Among the women that reported trauma, methamphetamine (43.2%) was the primary drug of choice, following by marijuana (19.3%), alcohol (17%), cocaine (8%), heroin (5.7%), and prescription medication (4.5%). The participants were predominantly Hispanic (36.4%), followed by Caucasian (33 %), and African-American (26.1%).

Conclusions: Examining the association between experienced trauma and psychological distress gives insight that substance using women are in need of integrated trauma-informed services to address coexisting issues.

Learning Areas:

Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Public health or related research

Learning Objectives:
Discuss experienced trauma and psychological distress affecting substance using women. Identify characteristics of substance using women that are affected by trauma.

Keyword(s): Drug Abuse, Women's Health

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the program evaluator and outreach coordinator for the Integrated Services to Avert Risk(ISTAR)program at Safe Refuge in Long Beach,California. My areas of interest include HIV/AIDs, homelessness, substance abuse, and mental health.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.