Our findings regarding trauma exposures were unexpected in light of a growing literature pointing to childhood assaultive traumas of sexual and physical abuse as risk factors for initiation of alcohol and other substances and for persistence and severity of disorder as well. (e.g. Elliott et al 2014; Sartor et al 2013; Schwandt et al, 2013; Werner et al 2016). We found that non-assaultive but not assaultive trauma was linked to early initiation, and neither trauma was significantly associated with the hazard of later progressions. However, due to IRB restrictions, questions specific to childhood physical and sexual abuse were not asked at most sites, a limitation of the assaultive trauma measure that may account for the results.
