Lifetime history of traumatic events in an American Indian community sample: Heritability and relation to substance dependence, affective disorder, conduct disorder and PTSD

• Published in: Journal of psychiatric research Vol. 47; no. 2; pp. 155 - 161
• Main Authors: Ehlers, Cindy L, Gizer, Ian R, Gilder, David A, Yehuda, Rachael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.02.2013; Elsevier
• Subjects: Abuse; Adolescent; Adult; Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Affective disorders; Alcoholism; American Indian; American Indian communities; American Indian people; Anxiety; Anxiety disorders. Neuroses; Biological and medical sciences; Conduct Disorder - epidemiology; Conduct Disorder - psychology; Conduct disorders; Diagnosis; Drug abuse; Ethanol; Ethnic groups; Female; Heritability; Humans; Indians, North American - psychology; Indians, North American - statistics & numerical data; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Mood Disorders - epidemiology; Mood Disorders - psychology; Morbidity; Mortality; Personality; Post-traumatic stress disorder; Posttraumatic stress disorder; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; PTSD; Residence Characteristics; Risk groups; Social behavior; Stress; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - epidemiology; Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - psychology; Substance dependence; Substance dependency; Substance-Related Disorders - epidemiology; Substance-Related Disorders - psychology; Trauma; Young Adult; PTSD; Substance dependence; American Indian; Trauma; Amerindian; Mood disorder; Anxiety disorder; Conduct disorder; Substance abuse; Posttraumatic stress disorder; History; Genetic determinism; Ethnic group; Stress; Affective disorder; Lifetime; Life events; Addiction; Genetics; Heritability; Social behavior disorder; Community
• ISSN: 0022-3956; 1879-1379
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2012.10.002

Abstract American Indians appear to experience a higher rate of traumatic events than what has been reported in general population surveys. American Indians also suffer higher alcohol related death rates than any other ethnic group in the U.S. population. Therefore efforts to delineate factors which may uniquely contribute to increased likelihood of trauma, post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorders (SUD) over the lifetime in American Indians are important because of the high burden of morbidity and mortality that they pose to American Indian communities. Participants were American Indians recruited from reservations that were assessed with the Semi-Structured Assessment for the Genetics of Alcoholism (SSAGA), family history assessment and the stressful-life-events scale . Of the 309 participants, equivalent numbers of men and women (94%) reported experiencing traumas; however, a larger proportion of women received a PTSD diagnosis (38%) than men (29%). Having experienced multiple trauma and sexual abuse were most highly associated with PTSD. Having experienced assaultive trauma and having PTSD symptoms were both found to be moderately heritable (30–50%). Logistic regression revealed that having an anxiety and/or affective disorder and having a substance dependent diagnosis, but not having antisocial personality disorder/conduct disorder, were significantly correlated with having a diagnosis of PTSD. These studies suggest that trauma is highly prevalent in this American Indian community, it is heritable, is associated with PTSD, affective/anxiety disorders and substance dependence. Additionally, trauma, PTSD and substance dependence appear to all co-emerge in early adulthood in this high-risk population.