History of interpersonal trauma exposure is a robust risk factor for alcohol and substance use disorders during adolescence

Early life trauma exposure is associated with substance use behavior during adolescence. The current study used a sample of trauma-exposed youth (ages 12–20, N = 2391) to determine if lifetime exposure to interpersonal or incidental trauma was associated with clinical diagnoses of substance use disorder across adolescence and whether the association was amplified by other risk factors. Interpersonal, but not incidental, trauma exposure conferred greater risk for substance use disorder diagnoses. Psychiatric comorbidity and family history of substance abuse were also identified as risk factors for adolescent substance use disorders. Associations between trauma and substance use disorder were constant throughout adolescence. These findings highlight interpersonal trauma exposure as a robust predictor of substance use disorders throughout adolescence.