Patients with non-substance-related disorders report a similar profile of childhood trauma experiences compared to heroin-dependent patients.

BACKGROUND AND

OBJECTIVES

Exposure to traumatic events is common among patients with substance use disorders (SUD). In patients with non-substance-related disorders, especially with gambling disorders (GD) and internet addiction (IA), traumatic childhood experiences have not been investigated extensively. The objective of this study was to compare trauma histories in patients with GD and IA to patients with heroin dependence.

METHODS

Cross-sectional surveys including the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and clinical data among 107 participants; 59 patients with non-substance-related disorders (GD [n = 39]; IA [n = 20]) were compared to 28 patients prescribed injectable heroin for opioid dependence in heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) and to a healthy control group (HC) (n = 20).

RESULTS

The findings revealed a high prevalence of trauma exposure in all three clinical groups, with 74.4% of patients with GD, 80.0% of patients with IA, and 93.0% of patients in HAT compared to 40% in HC. All three groups (GD, IA, HAT) reported significantly higher levels of "emotional neglect" compared to HC.

CONCLUSIONS AND SCIENTIFIC SIGNIFICANCE: The results provide clinically relevant information suggesting that the burden of childhood traumatic experiences may be as common in patients with GD and IA as in patients with heroin dependence. These findings could pose an important starting-point for treatment. (Am J Addict 2017;26:215-220).