Developing a sociological framework for dually diagnosed women

This exploratory study was conducted with the purpose of enumerating both p articular social stressors (e.g., the presence of trauma) and the incidence of a comorbid diagnosis (i. e., personality disorder[s] and substance abus e) on a sample of women in a residential therapeutic community. The women i n the study were assessed within the first 3,weeks following admission into drug treatment, and then again 6 months after leaving the program. The ini tial assessment generally took 2 hours and consisted of the Structured Clin ical Inventory for DSM-III-R-Patient edition (SCID-II), Addiction Severity Index (ASI), and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-II (MCMI-II). Cli nically significant scores on the MCMI-II antisocial and borderline persona lity scales were noted in this study. This study Sound women with histories of delinquent and/or criminal behavior before drug use were more likely to have used more types of drugs and have used multiple drugs together. These women also tended to have had a history of being abused, either emotionall y, physically, or sexually. This group was also less successful on all outc ome measures during 6-month follow-up. Moreover, the lifetime incidence of emotional, physical, and sexual abuse reported for this group at the baseli ne assessment was high-57.1% emotional abuse, 48.9% physical abuse, and 39. 7% sexual abuse. These results are consistent with the research literature that indicates abuse plays a central role in the development and chronic ef fect of personality disorders and, in particular, posttraumatic stress diso rder. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science Inc. All rights reserved.