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Treating child abuse-related posttraumatic stress and comorbid substance abuse in adolescents
Judith A Cohen1, Anthony P Mannarino, Aren C Zhitova
1Department of Psychiatry, Drexel University College of Medicine, Allegheny General Hospital, Four Allegheny Center, 8th Floor, Pittsburgh, PA 15212, USA.
Objective:
Child abuse is a risk factor for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and subsequent Substance Use Disorder (SUD). The purpose of this review is to summarize current knowledge about effective treatments for adolescent abuse-related PTSD, SUD, and the co-occurrence of these conditions.
Method:
The literature on empirical treatment studies for these conditions in adolescence was reviewed, summarized, and synthesized.
Results:
Randomized controlled studies of abuse-related PTSD and SUD in adolescents have supported the efficacy of cognitive behaviorally-based individual and family treatment components. Components overlap considerably in empirically supported treatments for each disorder. An integrated treatment approach is described for use in adolescents with abuse-related PTSD and SUD, with recommendations for optimizing services for this population and for future research.
Conclusions:
The available evidence on effective treatments suggests that integrated PTSD- and SUD-focused cognitive-behavioral and family treatment for adolescents with comorbid abuse-related PTSD and SUD may optimize outcomes for this population.
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