Article

Depressive Symptoms Following Recent Sexual Assault: The Role of Drug and Alcohol Use, Acute Stress, and Assault Characteristics

SAGE Publications Inc
Journal of Interpersonal Violence
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Abstract

Sexual assault is a common traumatic experience that can have a wide-ranging impact on psychological functioning, including experience of depressive symptoms. Although many studies have examined lifetime rates of depression among those with sexual assault history, less is known regarding risk factors for depressive symptoms following recent sexual assault. The study examined whether drug use history is uniquely related to depressive symptoms following recent assault. N = 65 individuals, 95.4% female; 73.8% White; M( SD)age = 28.89 (10.29), who had recently experienced sexual assault (less than 60 days) and completed a SAMFE (sexual assault medical forensic examination) were interviewed via phone and completed questionnaires regarding depressive and acute/post-traumatic stress symptoms and substance use history. Demographic information as well as information related to the assault was also collected. 68.7% of the sample reported clinically significant levels of depressive symptoms (PHQ-9, Patient Health Questionnaire, scores ⩾ 12). In a linear regression adjusted for acute/post-traumatic stress ( b = 0.26, p < .01) and other variables, polydrug use was significantly associated with depressive symptoms ( b = 3.26, p = .04). Single-drug use ( b = 0.96), physically forced sexual assault ( b = -1.11), victim-perpetrator relationship ( b = 0.15), prior sexual assault (b = -1.02), alcohol misuse ( b = -0.09), age ( b = 0.07), race ( b = 2.78), and days since assault ( b = -0.02) were not significantly associated with depressive symptoms (all ps > .05). Results highlight the potential role of drug use history in increasing risk of experiencing clinically significant depressive symptoms following recent assault.

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... Further, information on substance-involved trauma and other mental health outcomes marked by affectively oriented distress, such as anxiety or depression, is limited. Dir et al. (2021) found evidence for an increased risk of developing depression symptoms following sexual trauma for individuals with a history of polydrug use. Substance involvement during trauma exposure may contribute to negative self-schemas grounded in shame, self-blame, or guilt, which have been shown to contribute to depression (Evans et al., 2005;Hammen et al., 1985;Seeds & Dozois, 2010). ...
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This study examined the relationships between lifetime years of cocaine, alcohol, and marijuana use prior to entry into residential treatment for primary cocaine dependence and (a) intake depression levels, and (b) levels of cocaine use in the six months after completing treatment. Years of education, age, and lifetime years of cocaine and alcohol use contributed significantly to predicting depression levels. Lifetime years of alcohol use alone predicted cocaine use during the six months post-treatment.
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Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depression occur frequently following traumatic exposure, both as separate disorders and concurrently. This raises the question of whether PTSD and depression are separate disorders in the aftermath of trauma or part of a single general traumatic stress construct. This study aimed to explore the relationships among PTSD, depression, and comorbid PTSD/depression following traumatic injury. A group of 363 injury survivors was assessed just prior to discharge from hospital and 3 and 12 months postinjury. Canonical correlations were used to examine the relationship between PTSD and depression symptom severity and a set of predictor variables. Multinomial logistic regression was used to identify whether the diagnostic categories of PTSD, depression, and comorbid PTSD/depression were associated with different groups of predictors. The majority of psychopathology in the aftermath of trauma was best conceptualized as a general traumatic stress factor, suggesting that when PTSD and depression occur together, they reflect a shared vulnerability with similar predictive variables. However, there was also evidence that in a minority of cases at 3 months, depression occurs independently from PTSD and was predicted by a different combination of variables. While PTSD and comorbid PTSD/depression are indistinguishable, the findings support the existence of depression as a separate construct in the acute, but not the chronic, aftermath of trauma.
Article
To review information relevant to the question of whether substance-induced mental disorders exist and their implications. This paper utilized a systematic review of manuscripts published in the English language since approximately 1970 dealing with comorbid psychiatric and substance use disorders. The results of any specific study depended on the definitions of comorbidity, the methods of operationalizing diagnostic criteria, the interview and protocol invoked several additional methodological issues. The results generally support the conclusion that substance use mental disorders exist, especially regarding stimulant or cannabinoid-induced psychoses, substance-induced mood disorders, as well as substance-induced anxiety conditions. The material reviewed indicates that induced disorders are prevalent enough to contribute significantly to rates of comorbidity between substance use disorders and psychiatric conditions, and that their recognition has important treatment implications. The current literature review underscores the heterogeneous nature of comorbidity.
Article
Problematic substance use is associated with depression. Clarifying the relationship between substance use and depression remains an important research goal, with implications for prevention and treatment. Individual differences in the ability to tolerate negative physical and emotional sensations were hypothesized to play a role in substance use behaviors among depressed individuals. The present study investigated the roles of discomfort and distress tolerance in the relationship between alcohol and cannabis problems and depression among undergraduates (N=265). Consistent with other reports, depression was correlated with alcohol and cannabis problems. As predicated, distress tolerance mediated the relationships between depression and alcohol and cannabis problems. Interestingly, discomfort intolerance moderated the relationship between depression and cannabis problems such that depressed individuals with high discomfort tolerance were most vulnerable to cannabis problems. These data suggest that distress intolerance may at least partially account for alcohol and cannabis problems among depressed young adults whereas discomfort intolerance may actually serve a protective role in the development of cannabis problems.
The reality of comorbidity: Depression and drug abuse
  • N Volkow
Results from the 2015 National Survey on Drug Use and Health: Detailed tables
  • Cbhsq Samhsa