By Erin Winstanley, November 1, 2020.
Rural women with substance use disorders may have experienced significantly more childhood trauma than their male counterparts, according to new research from the West Virginia University School of Medicine.
The study — led by Erin Winstanley, an associate professor in the Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry and Department of Neuroscience—explored the incidence of childhood trauma in the lives of people with substance use disorders. The women who participated in the study reported 4.5 types of adverse childhood experiences, on average. In contrast, the men reported 3.3.
This accumulation of trauma may lead to sadness, anxiety, anger and other negative emotions. In turn, these negative emotions might cause someone to “use alcohol and drugs to self-medicate,” Winstanley said.
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