exposure uniquely contributes to alcohol involvement above and beyond PTSD (Danielson et al., 2009, Kilpatrick et al., 2000, Sartor et al., 2010). Klilpatrick et al.’s (2000) investigation of substance abuse in adolescence reported childhood physical abuse, childhood sexual abuse, and witnessing violence all independently contributed to past year AUD while PTSD contributed no additional variance to the model. A longitudinal study of young adults by Danielson and colleagues (2009) revealed that sexual assault remained a significant predictor, along with PTSD, for past year alcohol problems. Sartor et al. (2010) reported both those with PTSD and those with any trauma exposure but no PTSD were at an increased risk for alcohol dependence even when accounting for commonly co-occurring psychiatric conditions. However, the existing epidemiologic literature linking traumatic experiences with alcohol involvement has only investigated a single stage of alcohol involvement (i.e. alcohol initiation, problem use, or AUD diagnosis) neglecting to consider alcohol use and transitions to more pathological use concurrently, which may reveal drinking stage-specific contributions of trauma.
