Citation

Donbaek DF, Elklit A. J. Child Adolesc. Trauma 2015; 8(3): 161-172.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2015, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s40653-015-0040-5

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Gender is an important risk factor for both posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) in adolescents; however, little is known about the influence of gender when considering their common co-occurrence. This study examined independent predictors of PTSD severity between genders in a Danish probability sample of 15- to 18-year-old males (n = 863) and females (n = 1,125). The results showed that drug abuse and avoidant attachment to best friends were significant predictors of PTSD severity in male adolescents, whereas alcohol abuse and the absence of posttraumatic social support from parents remained significant predictors for female adolescents. The results support the influence of gender-specific substance abuse patterns and dysfunctional interpersonal relationships on the PTSD severity of traumatized adolescents.

Language: en