Interpersonal trauma and co-use: trauma's relationship with substance use and disconstraint

Authors: Erim Buyuk, Jennifer Read

SUNY Campus: SUNY Buffalo

Presentation Type: Poster

Location: Old Union Hall

Presentation #: 44

Timeslot: Session D 3:00-4:00 PM

Abstract: Interpersonal trauma is associated with severe negative psychological and emotional symptoms. Current literature supports that survivors of interpersonal trauma may turn to substances to cope with the emotional and psychological impacts of trauma; however, existing literature is contested on the mechanisms that underlie that. Furthermore, few studies have begun to investigate co-use or concurrent substance use, which is associated with higher levels of psychological symptoms. The aim of this research is to investigate the relationship between trauma type (interpersonal trauma, non-interpersonal trauma, no trauma) and substance use outcomes, specifically co-use of alcohol and cannabis. An additional aim of this paper is to examine disconstraint, a personality trait that previous research suggests may better explain the relationship between type of trauma and co-use. The present study will investigate the co-use between alcohol and cannabis in a sample of young adult women (N = 174) by using secondary data analysis from a longitudinal correlational design that uses one annual assessment and one year of daily diary data. Data on trauma type and disconstraint will come from the first annual survey. Alcohol and cannabis co-use data will come from the daily diary data that follows from the baseline annual survey, which has 27 timepoints. My primary hypothesis is that women with a history of interpersonal trauma are more likely to co-use alcohol with cannabis compared to women who have experienced other traumas and those who report no traumas.