2026 ECNP Congress

PS01-1010

Prevalence of traumatic life events and post-traumatic stress disorder among patients admitted to an addiction day hospital

Joana Bauzà — P.J. Alvarado, K. Rodriguez-Clifford, X. Roca, M. Madrid, S. De Andrés, J.A. Tome, F. Dinamarca, M. García, B.L. Amann, J. Soler, J. Trujols · Hospital Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Addiction Unit- Department of Psychiatry, Barcelona, Spain

2026 ECNP Congress

Introduction

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) refer to potentially traumatic experiences occurring before the age of 18 [1]. Substance use disorders (SUDs) [2] and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) [3] have been consistently associated with ACE exposure.PTSD results from exposure to severe traumatic events and is characterized by re-experiencing, hyperarousal, avoidance, and negative alterations in cognition and mood, leading to significant distress and functional impairment [4]. The prevalence of current PTSD has been reported to range from 15% to 42% among patients with SUDs [5].

Aims

The primary aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of PTSD diagnosis among patients with SUD. Secondary aims were to assess specific traumatic experiences during childhood and adulthood and to compare trauma variables in patients with and without dual disorders.

Methods

This is a prospective, observational study conducted in an adult addiction day hospital in Barcelona, Spain. A total sample of 180 participants is planned. The study protocol was approved by an Ethics Committee and all patients recruited so far have provided informed consent. Trauma variables were assessed with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Life Events Checklist for DSM-5 (LEC-5), and a possible PTSD diagnosis was screened using PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5). Patients with a positive screening result were evaluated with the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5). Group differences were analyzed using chi-square tests for categorical variables and independent-samples t-tests for continuous variables. Statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Data analysis was conducted using IBM SPSS Statistics version 27 for Windows

Results

Preliminary analyses included 115 patients (63.9% of the target sample); 112 completed all the assessments. The average age of the sample was 46.6 years (SD = 9.8). Fifty-nine (51.3%) patients were women and 76 (66.1%) had a dual diagnosis. Fifty-four patients (48.2%) screened positive for PTSD and 42 (37.2%; 95% CI: 28.3%-46.1%) met CAPS-5 criteria for current PTSD. Patients reported an average of 5.7 (SD = 2.7) events on the LEC-5. Victimization-type trauma (physical assault, sexual assault, or unwanted/uncomfortable sexual experience) was reported by 103 (89.6%) participants and identified as the worst event experienced by 52 (53.6%) of the patients. Mean scores for CTQ subscales were: emotional abuse 13.0 (SD = 5.9), physical abuse 8.2 (SD = 4.4), sexual abuse 8.9 (SD = 5.5), emotional neglect 13.9 (SD = 5.1), and physical neglect 8.3 (SD = 3.6). Patients with dual disorders showed significantly higher CTQ scores across all subscales and more lifetime traumatic events compared to those with SUD only (p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Preliminary findings indicate a high prevalence of PTSD diagnosis (37.2%) among SUD patients, with victimization-type trauma being the most prevalent traumatic event (89.6%) and frequently rated as the worst event experienced (53.6%). These results support the systematic PTSD screening and diagnostic assessment in the SUD population. Complete sample recruitment is required to confirm these preliminary findings.

References

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  2. Zhu, J., Racine, N., Devereux, C., Hodgins, D.C., Madigan, S., 2025. Associations between adverse childhood experiences and substance use: a meta-analysis. Child Abuse Negl. 168 (Pt 1), 106431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106431
  3. Li, Y., He, Z., Liu, Z., Peng, N., Xiao, Y., Ye, Y., Zhou, X., 2025. Adverse childhood experiences and the diagnosis of ICD-11 post-traumatic stress disorder or complex post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review and three-level meta-analysis. Trauma Violence Abuse. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380251336188
  4. American Psychiatric Association, 2022. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders, fifth ed., text revision. American Psychiatric Association Publishing, Washington.
  5. Roberts, N.P., Roberts, P.A., Jones, N., Bisson, J.I., 2016. Psychological therapies for post-traumatic stress disorder and comorbid substance use disorder. Cochrane Database Syst. Rev. 2016 (4), CD010204. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD010204.pub2