Correlates of Problem Drinking and Drug Use in Black Sexual Assault Victims

Abstract

Few studies have examined factors related to problem drinking and drug use in Black sexual assault victims. Given that sexual assault and histories of trauma are associated with substance abuse in victims, research is needed to determine what factors may be related to these outcomes for Black survivors. Furthermore, child sexual abuse (CSA) is a risk factor for substance abuse, but no studies have examined correlates of substance abuse outcomes separately according to CSA history. This study examines a large diverse sample of Black sexual assault victims (N = 495) to determine the associations of demographics, trauma history, assault characteristics, and postassault psychosocial factors with problem drinking and drug use using multivariate regressions. Traumatic life events, using substances to cope and self-blame, were associated with greater problem drinking and drug use. Implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.

PTSD and problem drinking in relation to seeking mental health and substance use treatment among sexual assault survivors.

“…It is possible that the women in our sample who fit the criteria for problem drinking engaged in substance use coping rather than seeking help from substance use professionals when their PTSD symptoms increased. Past research has shown a positive relationship between lifetime sexual trauma and developing problem drinking (Long & Ullman, 2016; Najdowski & Ullman, 2009). A past study also found the effect of PTSD symptoms on problem drinking was partially mediated by substance use coping and that substance use coping was predicted by lifetime trauma exposure and severity of child sexual abuse (Ullman, Relyea, Peter-Hagene, & Vasquez, 2013).…”

African American Sexual Assault Survivors and Mental Health Help-Seeking: A Mixed Methods Study

“…Women who are unable to receive mental health care may turn to religion to cope. Religiosity is frequently reported by African American women (Jang & Johnson, 2005), particularly among those with PTSD (Bryant-Davis et al, 2015) and has been linked to less illicit drug use and recovery from drug use following SA (Long & Ullman, 2016). However, it is unclear whether religious coping leads to better outcomes with or without traditional mental health help.…”

A Randomized Clinical Trial Examining the Effect of Video‐Based Prevention of Alcohol and Marijuana Use Among Recent Sexual Assault Victims

“…SA can have long-term negative physical and mental health consequences including alcohol and marijuana misuse (Bryan et al, 2016, Long and Ullman, 2016). Substance use can have unique consequences for SA victims including increasing sexual revictimization risk (Hannan et al, 2015) and can complicate the course of other associated mental health consequences like posttraumatic stress disorder (Kaysen et al, 2011).…”