The Prevalence of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Addiction Treatment Patients with Cocaine Use Disorders

Abstract

Co-occurring cocaine use and posttraumatic stress disorders are prevalent and associated with negative treatment, health and societal consequences. This study examined the relationships among PTSD symptoms, gender, and cocaine use problems. Within a cross-sectional design, we gathered archival point prevalence data on new admissions (n = 573) to three addiction treatment agencies. Demographic, substance use, and PTSD symptom information were collected across the three agencies. Logistic regression analyses revealed that patients with cocaine use disorders had a two-fold increased odds for a probable PTSD diagnosis, compared to patients without a cocaine use disorder (OR = 2.19, 95% CI = 1.49–3.22, p < 0.001). Among females with cocaine use disorder, multinomial regression yielded a significant increase in the risk of moderate (RRR = 2.12, 95% CI = 1.10–4.10, p < 0.05) and severe (RRR = 2.87, 95% CI = 1.33–6.21, p < 0.01) PTSD symptoms. Males with cocaine use disorders had a two-fold increase in the risk of moderate PTSD symptoms (RRR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.23–3.68, p < 0.01), but had no increased risk of developing severe PTSD symptoms (RRR = 1.93, 95% CI = 0.85–4.39, p = 0.117). Cocaine use appears to impact the risk of PTSD symptoms, especially in females. Future research should explore the generalizability of these findings to more racially and ethnically diverse samples, as well as among persons with this comorbidity who are not engaged in treatment services.

Anhedonia, Reduced Cocaine Reward, and Dopamine Dysfunction in a Rat Model of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

“…Although a goal of the present study was to examine susceptibility to SUD in PTSD, our behavioral findings are inconsistent with the clinical relationship between traumatic stress and cocaine abuse [42-44]. Stressed rats demonstrated similar levels of cocaine consumption and latencies to acquire self-administration when compared to controls under limited-access conditions, a finding that is consistent with a previous report [57].…”

“…The present study investigated hedonic state and reward function in order to gain insight into the potential mechanisms involved in PTSD symptomology and the high susceptibility to cocaine abuse in the presence of PTSD [42-44]. The findings capture the appearance of an anhedonic state and indicate reduced dopaminergic reward function following SPS.…”

“…The psychostimulant properties of cocaine depend heavily on dopaminergic reinforcement mechanisms [54, 55]. Despite the high clinical co-occurrence of cocaine abuse with PTSD [42-44], cocaine reinforcement is under-studied in rodent models of PTSD. The results of our study demonstrate a reduction in cocaine-conditioned reward following exposure to SPS versus control handling.…”

Gambling Problems Among Community Cocaine Users

“…When compared with those who do not have psychiatric comorbidity, cocaine dependent users who have dual diagnoses are more likely to abandon their treatment and report less improvement (Gonzalez-Saiz et al 2009;King et al 2014). While comorbidity between cocaine dependence and mood disorders (Conner et al 2008;VergaraMoragues et al 2012), alcohol dependence (Ford et al 2009), post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) (Saunders et al 2015), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) (Daigre et al 2013), psychotic disorders (Vergara-Moragues et al 2012) and some personality disorders (Ford et al 2009) have been previously documented, few studies have focused on problem gambling (PG) within these populations.…”

Examining the Contributions of Trait Emotional Intelligence on Addiction Counselor Burnout

“…Furthermore, addiction counselors are likely to work with clients with greater symptom severity and treatment needs, which may exacerbate burnout among these mental health professionals (Fahy, 2007;M. J. Johnson et al, 2016;Saunders, Lambert-Harris, McGovern, Meier, & Haiyi, 2015). The combination of strenuous workplace demands and the emotionally draining work of addiction counseling has been shown to result in high turnover rates and intentions to leave the profession (Eby, Burk, & Maher, 2010;Knudsen et al, 2009).…”