Study Links Trauma Care to Stronger Addiction Recovery

A new pilot study suggests that pairing peer support specialists with women in substance use recovery may help address a mental health condition that frequently accompanies addiction and often goes unaddressed: trauma-related symptoms stemming from sexual and intimate partner violence. 

The study took place in South Carolina, which features an abundance of addiction resources for folks of all backgrounds. The findings underscore why dual diagnosis and co-occurring disorders framing matters in addiction treatment, since trauma and substance use disorders often develop and reinforce each other together.

Researchers at Clemson University and Prisma Health tested a peer-delivered violence prevention program called THRIVE. The acronym stands for The Healthy Relationships and Interpersonal Violence Education program. The program recruited 90 women from outpatient and residential substance use treatment centers in Greenville.

Links Between Trauma, Mental Illness and Addiction

Between 60-90% of people in substance use treatment report a history of interpersonal violence, according to the study. Furthermore, violence exposure closely ties to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other trauma-related conditions. Many people use substances as a way to cope with untreated trauma symptoms. In turn, active substance use raises the risk of further violence exposure, creating a cycle where mental illness and addiction feed one another. 

Despite this well-documented connection, fewer than half of substance use treatment facilities have adopted trauma-informed care models. The research team cites barriers such as limited provider training and staffing shortages, stigma and the complexity of treating co-occurring conditions.

THRIVE’s Operations and Results

THRIVE consists of services from Certified Peer Support Specialists. These individuals are in recovery themselves and receive specialized training in the program’s content. Participants attended two one-hour sessions covering the connection between substance use and violence and mental health, healthy versus unhealthy relationships, sexual assertiveness and risk recognition. Researchers tracked outcomes at four points, from a baseline assessment through a three-month follow-up.

Nearly 79% of participants completed the full program with high satisfaction ratings. In the follow-up period, participants showed statistically significant gains in knowledge of consent, sexual self-efficacy and awareness of trauma-related resources along with a decline in intentions to engage in risky dating behavior.

Reported physical and psychological intimate partner violence victimization fell from 73.9% of participants at baseline to 42.0% at the three-month mark. 

Reported sexual violence exposure didn’t show a significant change over the same period, which may reflect participants’ living situations. Residential treatment can temporarily reduce exposure risk before someone returns to the community.

Since this was a single-arm pilot study without a comparison group, the study’s authors were careful to note that improvements can’t be directly attributed to the program alone and may also reflect the broader environmental effects of being engaged in substance use treatment.

Understanding Dual Diagnosis: When Trauma and Addiction Co-Occur

Dual diagnosis refers to the presence of both a mental health condition, such as PTSD or other trauma-related symptoms following violence exposure, and a substance use disorder occurring at the same time. 

Clinicians increasingly recognize that treating either condition in isolation is less effective than integrated care that addresses trauma and addiction together. They point out how unresolved trauma can lead to depression and other symptoms that are well-known drivers of continued or relapsed substance use.

Treatment Options for Everyone

Programs that integrate peer support specialists alongside licensed clinicians represent one model for delivering trauma-focused mental health care within addiction treatment settings, particularly in outpatient and residential programs that may not have extensive in-house mental health staff. 

Evidence-based approaches such as cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-focused counseling are commonly used alongside peer support to address co-occurring PTSD, trauma symptoms and substance use. These approaches are delivered in individual or group formats depending on the treatment setting.

Find Help Now

Facilities that treat both trauma-related mental illness and substance use disorders together, rather than one after the other, may be better positioned to support long-term recovery, especially for women with histories of interpersonal violence. 

If you or someone you know is navigating addiction alongside past trauma or PTSD symptoms, feel free to browse our directory for centers located across the country. Or, dial 800-908-4823 (Sponsored) for guidance on finding treatment centers that address both.

Author

Quentin Blount

Content Manager

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Quentin brings nearly a decade of experience as a writer, editor, and digital publisher to his role as Content Manager for Rehab.com. He aims to help people better understand their treatment options by creating engaging and informative content that is user-friendly, factually accurate, and optimized for search engine visibility. In his free time, Quentin enjoys the company of his friends, family, and his dog, Coop.

Editor

Peter Lee, PhD

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Peter W.Y. Lee is a writer and historian of American history during the Cold War. His primary focus is the relationship between youth and popular culture and its impact on U.S. society during the twentieth century. He has published widely on how the public has used popular culture as a mechanism to address political and social shifts throughout time