Childhood trauma and depression in alcoholics: relationship to hostility.

OBJECTIVE

To examine for a relationship between childhood trauma and depression in alcoholics.

METHODS

Euthymic depressed alcoholics (N = 23) were compared with never depressed alcoholics (N = 20) for their scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ). Subjects also completed the Hostility and Direction of Hostility Questionnaire (HDHQ).

RESULTS

Euthymic depressed alcoholics had significantly higher scores on the CTQ for childhood emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional neglect. They also had significantly higher hostility scores on the HDHQ. There were significant correlations between adult hostility scores and CTQ scores for childhood emotional neglect, physical neglect, sexual abuse and total childhood trauma.

CONCLUSION

A history of childhood trauma was correlated with adult depression in male alcoholics: a hostile personality dimension might be a mediating variable.

LIMITATION: Subjects were queried on their memories of childhood traumas. Prospective studies are needed.