NCJ Number
210030
Journal
Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: 2005 Pages: 99-105
Date Published
2005
Length
7 pages
Annotation
In order to provide some preliminary empirical data on the rates of childhood trauma and psychiatric symptoms among lesbian women with alcohol/other drug abuse problems, this study administered the Self-report Version of the Dissociative Disorders Interview Schedule (DDIS) to 19 such women.
Abstract
Comparison subjects were 39 women being treated at a hospital-based chemical dependency program. The comparison subjects completed the Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) and the DDIS. All of the lesbian respondents reported childhood physical and/or sexual abuse, compared with 56 percent of the comparison women. For the lesbian women, all the DDIS symptom clusters were elevated compared to general population norms, but none differed from symptom rates among the comparison group. The study found that the co-occurrence of alcohol/other drug abuse, childhood trauma, depression, and borderline personality disorder observed in other studies also was present among lesbian women. Because of the small sample size, however, no conclusions were reached about the low rates of dissociative disorders and symptoms despite the high rate of childhood trauma. Based on the available data, treatment planning for lesbian women with alcohol/other drug abuse should be similar to that for women in general; however, because of the high rate of childhood trauma in the lesbian sample, greater attention should be given to the unresolved effects of childhood abuse. 3 tables and 13 references